Jan. 30, 2022: January is National Mentoring Month, and the Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) wishes to celebrate the work of a few of our grantees who are invested in creating and expanding opportunities for youth through mentoring. The OBH Community Substance Use Prevention and Early Intervention team offers five-year grants through a competitive application process for Substance Abuse Block Grant Prevention Funds to support mentoring efforts in Colorado communities. Mentoring has been proven to increase protective factors such as connection to trusted adults and community. Today we spotlight the work of Partners of Delta, Montrose and Ouray by featuring a submission from Partners Executive Director Curtis Hurst.
What does mentorship look like during a pandemic?
If the pandemic has taught us anything about mentoring, it's that we have to be adaptable and understanding that we are all being impacted differently. Our mentors and our staff have worked together to make meaningful connections possible and safe through communication and customization. We did have some volunteers leave during the pandemic. But interestingly enough, the new and returning mentors are recognizing this is a very important time for mentoring. Our staff has worked hard to accommodate mentors by helping them with communication via technology and ideas for safe ways to connect. At one point we hosted a very popular virtual cooking class and pizza. We are also fortunate to have so many outdoor opportunities on the western slope.
What are some positive outcomes of mentoring?
When young people have a trusted adult in their life they tend to have higher levels of self-esteem, reduced use of substances, and increased decision-making skills. We've personally seen mentors help kids improve their grades, provide coping skills for kids in crisis, and provide expertise and opportunity to youth to bond over shared passions. For many kids in our communities, the most positive outcome of mentoring is opportunity. A very large percentage of kids on the Western Slope do not have access to many things because of income level, gear, knowledge, and time from adults in their life. A mentor in their life means that they now have access to many more opportunities like outdoor adventures, performances or visits to nearby National or State Parks.
How many youth did you serve last year?
Our organization managed between 45 and 55 active mentoring matches in 2021 and served an additional 62 youths in select prevention programming or on the waiting list to be matched with a mentor. Prior to the pandemic we supported more than 70 matches and we are working diligently to get new mentors involved.
How to get involved
The best way for someone in our community to get involved is to contact someone at one of our offices. We are always happy to chat to potential volunteers about how they would like to contribute to our organization. You can find contact information on our website partners-west.org. |