Our philosophy is that all youth can benefit from a positive mentor/mentee relationship. By providing youth with consistent, caring mentors, youth will recognize their unlimited potential and achieve their own vision for their future.
Research on youth resiliency indicates that a youth needs healthy supports and opportunities to become a supportive, caring, and contributing member of our society as an adult. Today’s youth need safety, belonging, respect/self-worth, autonomy/identity, mastery, and meaning. Burlington youth will have healthy developmental outcomes (self-confidence, sense of purpose, prosocial behavior) when introduced to a mentoring relationship that will meet these needs. Preventing negative outcomes such as alcohol, tobacco and other drug use can be offset through exposure to healthy supports and opportunities provided by a mentoring relationship.
Additional Research about the positive effects that mentors have on youth:
- Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring, 4th Edition
- Dr. Mentor
- National Mentoring Partnership
- SAFE and Friends for Youth Mentoring Institute
- Iowa Mentoring Partnership
- The Chronicle of Evidence-based Mentoring
Click here for the Peer Mentor Application form (High School Students)