CARE is here for you!

Greetings Readers!

Historically, the new year has inspired us to make personal goals and allowed us to dream of a better future. This year, we may find ourselves hesitant to hope, given the personal and societal challenges we all face in 2020. As we end this year and welcome a new year, we hope that you will look back and see how much you have grown and what areas of your life were redirected. Congratulate yourself that through all the challenges you have made it this far! 

January is National Mentoring Month. Before we dive in, here are this month’s journal entries:

  • I can best spend my time and energy by…

  • 2020 has taught me…

  • List three positive things that happened in 2020…

Last year we learned new ways of staying connected and we sharpened our communication skills. Still, we need to go back to the basics of building and strengthening relationships. Our youth is struggling. Many are feeling hopeless and need to feel heard and supported. Youth were especially hit hard in 2020 given that normal experiences of being out with friends and learning about themselves through their peer interactions were diminished. 

According to statistics taken from the Mentoring.org website1, connecting with your community’s youth through mentorship with a caring adult has positive outcomes, such as:

  • Increased likelihood of improved academic, social, and economic prospects for youth, which ultimately strengthens our community.

  • Healthier relationships and lifestyle choices. 

  • Decreased likelihood of initiating drug or alcohol use. 

  • Better relationships between youth and parents/guardians. 

  • A reduction in depressive symptoms.

Mentoring, in turn, has its benefits for adults too, such as:

  • A personal sense of accomplishment.

  • Better insights into youth and community needs.

  • Networks and connections with other volunteers and organizations that strive to make a difference. 

There are many ways that we can become involved with our community. Below are some of the resources for mentorship opportunities and organizations that provide mentoring to youth across the valley. If you know of other mentorship opportunities, please share with the community!

  • If you are or know a youth between 11 – 14 years and live in the Glendale or Alhambra area and are looking to being involved, you can join the Youth Leadership Council! Contact christina.munoz@touchstonebh.org for more information.

  • If you are a community member, parent, business, or youth-serving organization and would like to be involved, you can join the CARE Coalition. To learn more about our coalition, email ruth.santos@touchstonebh.org to sign up.

  • Women Fulfilling Purpose offers Leaders in Training Academy Program for teenage girls to develop life skills, leadership skills and to increase confidence. Visit their website to learn more about the program.

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona. Volunteers meet their assigned child/youth (ages 6 through 18) two to four times per month, for at least 12 months.

  • Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix. Volunteers mentor children in grades 5-8 for one hour each week as a part of the Be Great: Graduate program, which targets kids who are at risk for school failure and helps them stay on track to graduate high school.

  • Boys Hope Girls Hope. The mentoring program uses adult volunteers to commit to supporting, guiding, and being a friend to a young person for a period of at least one year. 

  • Florence Crittenton. WINGS (Women Involved in Nurturing Girls’ Self-Esteem) is a highly structured mentoring program that pairs girls (many of whom suffer from serious abuse or neglect) with professional women from the local community.

  • Girls on the Run International. Volunteers train for a 5K with girls in grades 3-8 and develop relationships that instill self-esteem through health education, life skills development, mentoring, and physical training.

  • Casa of Arizona CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in court and other settings.

  • Strive for College Strive connects students with financial needs with free, one-to-one mentoring to help them navigate the college and financial aid application process. Students already in college can be matched with a mentor for support to help them graduate and prepare for career opportunities.

  • Arizona Child and Adolescent Survivors Initiative (ACASI)  A stable relationship with a caring, consistent adult helps build resiliency and predicts better outcomes for at-risk children and children who have experienced domestic violence.

  • New Pathways for Youth Through 1:1 mentoring in a connected community of other mentors and youth, youth discover renewed outlooks on life and realize unwritten possibilities for their futures.

  • The Challenge Foundation The mentor partners with the student, his or her family, and Challenge to provide on-going support, encouragement, and meaningful experiences for their mentee.

  • Thrive Mentor Program Our Mentor Program is designed to help foster youth build supportive connections with Volunteer Mentors.

  • AASK Mentoring Program Mentors offer counsel and consistency, steadiness and support to children and youth living in non-family settings such as group homes, etc.

Remember, you are not alone in this. There are many ways that you can be supported and connected. If you would like to learn more about mindfulness skills, visit CARE’s Soothing Place where you can find informational links for mindfulness, coping skills, and wellness. 

For free webinars on many topics to support raising children and teens, visit Operation Parent.

If you, or someone you care about is feeling overwhelmed with emotions like sadness, depression, or anxiety, or feel like you want to harm yourself or others: 

  • Call 911

  • Visit the Disaster Distress Helpline, call 1-800-985-5990, or text TalkWithUs to 66746

  • Visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline or call 1-800-799-7233 and TTY 1-800-787-3224 

For the youth, if you know you or your friends need immediate help, call Teen Lifeline. Teen Lifeline is a 24-7 crisis line for teens where teens can call or text another teen about any problems or issues they are facing. This resource is also available to parents and families for support.

  • In Maricopa County: 602-248-8336 (TEEN)

  • Outside Maricopa County: 1-800-248-8336 (TEEN)

  • Outside Arizona/Nationally: 1-877-YOUTHLINE or 1-800-SUICIDE

For more information on this please visit the websites below:

  1. https://www.mentoring.org/on_track_for_success/