Partners Giveback Night at Fritzler Farm Park
Join us at Fritzler Farm Park on Thursday, October 22nd from 5-9pm for our Partners Giveback Night! Enjoy activities for
Mentoring
Partners Youth Mentoring Programs
Our mentoring programs aim to enrich the lives of the participating youth, as well as the volunteers who mentor them. Over the past 44 years, we have grown to serve more than 500 youth each year though our community-based and school-based mentoring programs. Each year, we aim to grow our reach and empower more youth. Our mentors volunteer thousands of hours each year, building strong relationships and supporting youth who need it most.
We focus on ensuring we provide the best possible services for our youth by developing research-based programs that follow best practices in youth mentoring. We collect data from our partnerships for our annual evaluation to ensure our programs make a difference—and they do! After one year in our programs, youth with mentors gain relationship and interpersonal skills, more confidence, improved attitudes about substance use, and hope for the future.
"My kids learned how NOT TO be from past experiences with adults who let them down. After spending time with their mentors from Partners, my kids learned how TO be."
- Parent of a Mentee
MAKE A COMMITMENT WITH PARTNERS AND HELP YOUTH REALIZE THEIR POTENTIAL FOR GREATNESS
UPCOMING EVENTS
We are proud to be denoted as a National Quality Mentoring System Gold Partner and to be recognized as a MENTOR Colorado Champion Partner. These designations represent our dedication to continually improving and ensuring we provide high-quality, evidence-based mentoring programs.
Be a Mentor
We are always in need of positive adult role models to volunteer as mentors. Our kids are ages 7 to 17 years old with diverse interests and needs. We create partnerships based on shared interests, common values, and logistical preferences. Partners provides volunteers with training and support, as well as inclusion in a caring and active community. These are the roles we have available:
Community-Based Mentor
In this role, you will develop a long-term relationship with a local youth, including them in everyday activities in the community and sharing your life with your mentee. Partnerships meet an average of three hours a week for a minimum of one year. We are always in need of community-based mentors.
School-Based Mentor
As a school-based mentor, you will meet one-on-one with a student who needs extra support in the academic setting. These partnerships meet an average of one hour a week for a minimum of one academic year. We accept school-based mentors between March and September each year.
Nexus Activity Volunteers
In this role, you will help out with our monthly group activities for youth who are waiting to be matched with mentors. Nexus Activity Volunteers are asked to assist with group activities, including transporting youth, 6 times per year. We accept applications for this role as volunteer spots are available.
Refer a Youth
We aim to serve the youth who most need support in our mentoring programs. While mentoring is beneficial to all youth, we use our resources to focus on youth who are facing significant challenges in their personal, social, and academic lives, and are least likely to have additional positive adult role models in their lives.
All youth in our community-based mentoring program must be referred by a professional in the community who knows the child’s case, most commonly: private therapists, medical professionals, youth pastors, and probation officers.
Referrals to our school-based mentoring program come from school counselors in our partner schools. School counselors should refer to the information given to them by Partners staff when referring a youth to our school-based mentoring program.
Once a youth is referred to our mentoring programs, our staff begins the enrollment process with the youth’s parent/guardian and referral agent. The youth is then placed in our Nexus Program for group activities while waiting to be matched with their mentor.
*Please note that, at times, some referrals may not be accepted, depending on the quantity and fit of volunteer mentors. For example, we often have many youth who want to be matched with male mentors, while we have a limited number of male volunteers.
Please see chart below for current open referral options
| Office | Boys Ages 7-17 | Girls and Gender Expansive Youth Ages 7-17 |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Collins | NOT accepting new referrals | Accepting new referrals |
| Loveland | NOT accepting new referrals | Accepting new referrals |
| Greeley | NOT accepting new referrals | Accepting new referrals |
| Estes Park | Accepting new referrals | Accepting new referrals |
Information for Families
Congratulations on making the decision to support your child in becoming a mentee! We are excited to have your child in the program and look forward to helping them benefit from the encouragement and friendship of a mentor. As a parent/guardian, your active participation is essential in making this mentoring partnership successful.
Community-Based Mentoring
This Program provides services to youth in Northern Colorado. The program places volunteer mentors out in the community to provide one-to-one mentoring services to youth who are facing significant challenges in their social and/or personal lives. Youth are matched with a mentor based on the needs of the youth and on the schedules, personalities, and interests of both the youth and mentor. Mentors spend a minimum of 3 hour per week with their mentee and commit for at least one calendar year. Partnerships typically meet after school or on the weekends. Partnerships spend time together doing various activities that help them build a relationship with one another. Activities could include eating dinner together, playing games, going bowling, playing laser tag, going to the park, or just hanging out.
School-Based Mentoring
This Program provides services to select schools. The program places volunteer mentors into the schools to provide one-to-one mentoring services to students who are facing significant challenges in their social, academic, and/or personal lives. Students are matched with a mentor based on the needs of the student and on the schedules, personalities, and interests of both the student and mentor. Mentors spend a minimum of 1 hour per week with their mentee and commit for at least one academic school year. Partnerships spend time together doing various activities that help them build a relationship with one another. Activities could include eating lunch together, playing games, shooting hoops, working on an art project, or just hanging out.
Nexus Program
After enrollment, and before being matched with a School-Based or Community-Based mentor, youth are automatically placed in our Nexus Program. While in this program, youth are invited to participate in monthly activities, such as: rock climbing, skateboarding, cooking classes, bracelet making, movie nights, Rockies games, and much more! Youth in the Nexus Program are transported to and from activities by screened Activity Volunteers who spend time with them throughout the activity. This provides a glimpse at what a future partnership may look like once they are matched. This gives the youth a chance to meet their peers and get to know Partner’s staff before they jump in to a one-to-one mentoring partnership.
Partners’ mentoring programs are available to youth in Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, and Estes Park. The Partners School-Based Program is available in the following schools:
- Poudre School District: Bauder ES, Bennett ES, Laurel ES, Lopez ES, Olander ES, Blevins MS, Lesher MS, Lincoln MS, Webber MS, Polaris Expeditionary, and Rocky Mountain HS.
- Thompson School District: Cottonwood ES, Coyote Ridge ES, Edmondson ES, Lucile Erwin MS, Peakview Academy, and Thompson Valley HS.
- Weld County School District 6: Dos Rios ES, Franklin MS, Madison ES, Heath MS, and Winograd K-8.
- Estes Park School District: Estes Park ES, Estes Park MS, and Estes Park HS.
what to expect upon enrollment
Phase One: Enrollment — A Program Coordinator works with you to:
- Answer any questions you have about the Partners program.
- Interview the parent/guardian via a 15-minute phone call.
- Fill out enrollment paperwork.
- Conduct a confidential interview with your child at your home, the Partners office, or at your child’s school.
Phase Two: Nexus — Your child is now eligible to attend monthly Partners-hosted activities while waiting to be matched with a mentor!
- Our staff plan monthly activities for youth (such as: attending a Rockies game, an Ice Cream Social for the whole family, etc.)
- Partners staff will call the family to invite your child to the activity.
- A fully screened Activity Volunteer picks up your child, hangs out with them at the activity, and brings them home. (This may be a different person each month. This is NOT your child’s mentor).
Phase Three: Match — A Program Coordinator has found a mentor to match with your child!
- You will receive a call and your Program Coordinator will tell you about your child’s potential mentor.
- If this person sounds like a good fit for your child, a date will be set for the match.
- At the match:
- We introduce everyone and everyone has an opportunity to get to know each other
- We sign a Partnership Agreement and any additional paperwork
- The Program Coordinator will complete a confidential survey with your child, if you consented for them to do so.
frequently asked questions
Partners is a non-profit organization dedicated to matching youth with adult mentors. Each youth (mentee) is matched with an adult volunteer (mentor) in a year-long partnership, meeting each week. A volunteer in the program is an adult who simply wants to share some of their experience and time with a child. Volunteers are thoroughly screened, interviewed, trained, and supported by our staff. Partnerships spend time each week doing a variety of activities together according to their interests, which may include: homework, playing games, sports, and talking. Staff support these relationships through volunteer trainings, recreational opportunities, life-skills education, and other support services.
Although Partners would be an asset to many children, unfortunately, we only have a limited number of volunteer mentors. Therefore, we have to limit the number of youth we can serve. Partners receives referrals of youth from local organizations and schools that are already working with youth. Partners focuses on youth who could use some extra support in any area of their life, be it academic, social, or personal.
Partners is not a program for “bad kids” or for kids with “bad parents.” A mentor is an adult friend for your child to spend quality time with. Research has shown that providing youth with an additional caring adult increases the youth’s self-esteem, family relationships, grades, and prevents the initiation of drug and alcohol use. Most of us can think of an adult outside of our family that we looked up to in our youth. Perhaps it was a coach, a teacher, a member of our faith community, or someone else who taught us a skill, motivated us, or just listened. This is the role a mentor will play in your child’s life.
At Partners, the safety of the youth we serve is always at the forefront of our attention. We screen our volunteers as thoroughly as we can to ensure that the partnership experience is positive and beneficial for both the youth and the volunteers. This includes an in-depth personal interview, two background checks, reference checks, and a mentor training. By the end of the screening process, we feel confident that our volunteers are suited to be a mentor through our organization.
Parents/Guardians can expect to schedule interviews and complete paperwork upon enrolling in the program. After enrollment, good communication with everyone involved is expected and will help the partnership be successful. Good communication helps with scheduling and ensures we’re supporting your child well.
All youth must be referred by a professional in the community that knows the child’s case. Referral sources are most commonly school counselors, private therapists, medical professionals, youth pastors, probation officers, and DHS caseworkers (although, many other professional referrals would be accepted).