Availability: Please call for availability.
Fees: There are no fees for this program.
The Teen Mentoring Program provides mentoring services to a target population of male and female youths, ages 11-17, of all races, who reside in Lorain County. This service is designed to assist at-risk youth in the community by providing social and recreational opportunities with a caring and guiding adult role model. The mentors serve as models with which youth identify and learn critical skills from. Mentors use a strength based approach to improve youth functioning by increasing socially appropriate behavior and reducing delinquent behaviors. Each mentoring relationship is unique and special, shaped by the different personalities and interests of the mentor and the youth.
All youth who receive mentoring services must be referred by provider contract agencies of the Lorain County Mental Health Board or the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board of Lorain County. In addition, specific eligibility categories have been established for age ranges 11-12 and 13-17, with guidance from our funder, which is utilized to determine whether referred youth meet criteria to receive mentoring services.
Mentors are required to meet with their assigned youth every week for a minimum of 2 hours, and a minimum of one group activity a month. All activities occur in the community and are designed to connect youth with appropriate cultural, social, educational, and personal development opportunities as well as with their peer groups in the community. Youth are encouraged to develop personal skills and interests beginning with developing a stable relationship with an adult, their mentor.