 Acting For Community Change Through Mentoring
Gillette, WY
Drugs, violence, weapons in schools, severe emotional and psychological needs, increased child physical and sexual abuse and abandonment; these are all issues facing today’s youth. In Gillette, Wyoming, Youth Emergency Services (locally known as YES House) is working to combat these problems head on by increasing their Impact Mentoring Program.
The Wyoming Women’s Foundation recognizes and values the importance of positive role models and leadership. Part of our mission is to provide and support leadership around the state. We provided a grant to help Youth Emergency Services pursue more proactive strategies in recruiting and training new mentors as well as providing support services to mentors and their mentees. Through their grant from the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, Youth Emergency Services has been able to connect more mentors in the Gillette community with more girls who are at risk of educational failure, dropping out of school; who are involved in criminal or delinquent activities; and who lack positive role models. After carefully considering the girls’ needs and life experiences, girls are matched with mentors who commit, on average, 2 hours a week for a minimum of a full year.
“Youth Emergency Services knows mentoring is a ‘best practice’ for at-risk youth. It provides protective factors against substance abuse and aggressive behaviors. It also correlates well with academic success for youth,” Mentor Coordinator Deb Chipperfield explained.
Jen and Michelle are participants in the Impact Mentoring Program. Jen has been a mentor with the Impact Mentoring Program for almost four years. When asked to describe her best moment during those four years with mentees, there was no simple answer.
“I cannot say that I have one single ‘best’ moment because these girls are not comparable. I can say that what I gain the most joy from is watching these girls smile and learn to take joy in who they are and what they are capable of.”
One needs only to speak with Michelle, Jen’s current mentee, to understand what kind of impact the Impact Mentoring Program is making in Gillette.
“I plan on going to college and to get a degree in business,” said Michelle, “Thanks to Jen, I am going to start college classes while I am in high school. She took me to the college so that I could learn about how to do this.”
Youth Emergency Services plans to continue initiating change in their community through their Impact Mentoring Program.
“All young people, particularly youth at risk, need positive role models and positive relationships in their lives,” concluded Chipperfield.
The Wyoming Women's Foundation congratulates our grantee partner, the YES House for their success and impact on young women in Wyoming.
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