September 17, 2009
Maggie Moorland, Resource Development Officer – Mesa County Partners
Investing in a Youth Program – “What do I get out of it?”
Recently, Partners in Mesa County launched a new campaign, inviting community members to join us in raising $75,000 to support the Partners program. If 300 people in Mesa County commit to investing at least $250 in the Partners Program, $75,000 will be raised to support our youth in our community. We are asking that investors consider a three year commitment. We want to keep the ball rolling for our future.
Of course, when you ask a person to invest in something, most will ask – “What do I get out of it?” or “What is the return on my investment?” Investments in social programs like Partners do not usually produce hard numbers like dollars earned in the stock market, but there are numbers that show the impact of dollars invested in youth programs such as Partners.
The University of Minnesota in 2007 conducted an exceptional study of youth mentored in Minnesota. The study showed that “such programs can produce some or all of the following direct benefits whose values (in principle) be quantified.” The average benefit for the 170,000 Minnesota Youth mentored was:
- Juvenile Crime Reduction: $371
- Truancy Reduction: $150
- Enhanced School Achievement: $2,129
- Reduced Tobacco Use: $823
- Reduced Illegal Drug Use: $127
- A Young Person’s Increased Lifetime Earnings: $3,826
The total benefits per youth - $7,426
According to the study, improved school attendance and performance leads to increased graduation rates, increased post-secondary education, and higher lifetime earnings. When truancy is reduced, school costs are reduced and ultimately, high school drop outs are reduced. When teen pregnancy is reduced and use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs are reduced or delayed improves health outcomes and saves the community money in general. Reduced juvenile crime (both violence and property crimes) saves victim costs, court costs, and costly treatment of juvenile offenders. In essence, mentoring works.
The study goes on to say, “Based on conservative assumptions and outcomes and valuations, a representative program returns benefits of $2.72 for every dollar of resources used (dollars spent plus volunteer time). A program returns $1.87 of public benefits (public cost savings and increased tax revenues) for every dollar spent on the program.” Anton, Paul A., Wilder Research, Prof. Judy Temple, University of Minnesota (2007) Social Return on Investment in Youth Mentoring Programs.
Locally, Partners also conducts research on the impact of mentoring, not so much from the dollar perspective, but making sure that what we are doing is really working. An aggregate report of data collected from the Partners Mentoring Association in Colorado shows:
- 147 youth who were mentored for one year were surveyed; this includes youth from Mesa County.
- A high percentage of these youth were low income, have had or have alcohol or drug abuse problems in the home, a parent has been incarcerated, are victims of abuse or neglect, and have chronic school problems.
The report by OMNI Research shows that a statistically significant number showed:
- Increased in bonding to adults
- Increased in self-esteem
- Increased Academic Success
- Increased Self-Efficacy
- Reduced Individual Delinquency
It is exciting that we can share that our program works and that dollars invested into our program show a strong return on investment. Please consider joining the 300 community members we are now recruiting as investors in Partners. Not only do your dollars benefit your community – you can become a part of Partners and become a part of the future of our youth.
For more information please visit – www.mesapartners.org or call Maggie at 245-5555 x 17
The Impact of Mentoring on Our Entire Community –
Mesa County and the World
By Maggie Moorland – Resource Development Coordinator, Mesa County Partners.
The word “mentor” first appears as a character’s name in Homer’s Odyssey. In this classic tale, “Mentor was an old friend of Odysseus to whom the king had entrusted his whole household when he sailed.” Most importantly, the king entrusted to his “wise and faithful friend” the safekeeping and development of his only son, Telemachus.
Nowadays, we do not describe our daily travels as sailing per se, but our community is not lacking in kids who need a wise and faithful friend to see them through what can be the toughest part of life – childhood into adulthood.
I was fortunate enough to listen to a great speaker, Kareem Moody the author of Raise Them up: the Real Deal on Reaching Unreachable Kids. In his book, Kareem relates a story that sums up a community’s duty to the youth that belong to it.
On an ordinary morning, Kareem stopped to drop his son off at daycare. As he bent down to kiss him goodbye, he spotted a little girl, covered in snot and chocolate and everything else little kids ooze heading right towards him in his clean and pressed work clothes, arms open. Of course, his first instinct was to escape, but then he had this thought:
“Then I thought about how many other kids have grown up in exactly the same circumstances. The snotty-nosed kids everyone ignores today tend to grow up into the “problem children” of tomorrow. These kids may not have dirty noses and chocolate all over them anymore, but they might have intimidating tattoos or saggy pants, drink and do drugs or just have a bad attitude and a filthy mouth. They’ve been used to being outcasts for so long, to having people cross the street when they see them coming, that many of them figure they may as well live up to the reputation they’ve been saddled with. Their pleas for hugs and attention and respect have been passed up so many times before that putting up a tough exterior has become an automatic defense against feeling rejected.”
This “snotty-nosed kid” in Kareem’s story is symbolic of all youth in need – including Mesa County’s. In our community we have Partners, a youth-serving organization with a mission statement to make a difference in the lives of young people by helping them develop a positive self image, a sense of belonging and an acceptance of responsibility for their actions. Basically, Partners through their mentoring program wants to be there so young people’s pleas for attention and respect are not passed up.
Partners provides the opportunity for volunteers to make a difference in the life of a child. When you volunteer as a mentor, you will end up changing at least two lives – yours and the youth’s. Even more far-reaching you can impact your community now and in the future. Research through the University of Minnesota in 2007 shows that for every $1 spent on One-to-One Mentoring Services, the community sees a $2.72 return benefit in juvenile crime reduction, truancy reduction, enhanced school achievement, and reduced tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use.
Consider mentoring a young person. Don’t think about not having enough time, but including a child in the time you have now. The kids in our mentoring program have a wide range of interests and personalities; there may just be one that likes to do what you do. If you are interested in the mentoring program or any other program at Partners – please visit www.mesapartners.org or call 245-5555.
Western Colorado Conservation Corps
” Serve youth in a conservation minded employment and educational experience.”
Rusty lloyd
Director - WCCC
The WCCC is part of a rich history of conservation minded employment. On March 21, 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt started the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as part of the New Deal to combat the growing unemployment rate of the Great Depression. Members of the CCC lived in on-site camps and earned a very modest living stipend, but were provided with uniforms, meals, and invaluable job training. With World War II however, came a need for soldiers rather than workers and the CCC disbanded in 1942.
Then and Now; FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps working on the Colorado National Monument in the 1930’s on top. On bottom, Western Colorado Conservation Corps in similar attire with the same kind of tools in 2009.
The spirit of the CCC lived on and became a model for a variety of conservation corps such as Partners program Western Colorado Conservation Corps (WCCC).
The Western Colorado Conservation Corps was piloted in 1999 under the non-profit group Partners of Mesa County . WCCC is an employment and educational experience for a diverse population of youth ranging in age from 14 to 25. Members have the opportunity to learn life skills, provide service to their community and conservation groups, as well as take on civic and environmental responsibilities designed to enrich their lives and their surroundings.
The WCCC’s purpose is to serve youth in Western Colorado through service by improving their community and gain valuable life experience for their success in the future. There are two important aspects to our programs, education and employment. By employing youth and young adults they gain work ethic and job skills to achieve success in their individual careers. The WCCC uses conservation based projects in the outdoors to improve the environment and surrounding community for long term benefits.
Education is the other component to this program; corps members take part in four different types of education and training, Life Skills, Career Oriented, Academic and Environmental education.
Corps members are eligible for and AmeriCorps Education Award which they can use for higher education. Members are able to use this award like a scholarship and apply it towards college tuition or pay back federal student loans. In 2008 the WCCC awarded $46,000 in AmeriCorps Education Awards to local youth and young adults for higher education. Education is an important aspect to the program and we encourage youth and young adults to engage them selves in higher education. In 2008 the WCCC employed 130 youth and young adults in Western Colorado.