Kids 'n Kinship Mentoring Program
Staff | Published on 9/21/2022
Kids ‘n Kinship, an expert quality credited and reviewed mentoring program, provides community based and school-based mentoring to children and youth ages 5-16 who are in need of an additional supportive relationship with an adult. What sets us apart from other mentor programs is that, in addition to individuals, we welcome couples and families to sign up as mentors. Kids 'n Kinship has seen incredible value in building relationships, not just between mentors and mentees, but through the natural bonds formed between mentors' and mentees' families. Kids ‘n Kinship is an inclusive mentoring program celebrating 50 years of achieving great positive outcomes.
Our volunteers make a difference because they are a weekly influence in their mentee's life. They get to know the mentee and his/her family, and they invest their time and resources into their mentee creating a sense of value and importance for our youth. One mentee’s guardian said this about her child’s relationship “They went to a Minnesota Lynx game, which was a huge hit, and exposed her to something she is becoming very interested in. We even have her enrolled in basketball camps and clinics now. She is excited to see her mentor every time and is eager to coordinate visits more on her own. Her time with her mentor is a great outlet for her to connect and process things and talk with an adult who is in her corner.”
What kids often tell us they look forward to most is just spending time with their mentors and their families doing routine activities like eating a meal together or spending time together at their mentor's home. What volunteers often tell us is that they volunteered to make a difference in a youth’s life, but in addition, they have seen mentoring make a difference in their own life.