Friends for Youth

Established in 1979, Friends for Youth supports underserved youth in Northern California through meaningful mentorship relationships. In the decades since, Friends for Youth has supported more than 2,500 students and boasts a 90-percent success rate in creating long-term mentoring partnerships, which significantly exceeds the national average of 33 percent. Friends for Youth's programs focus on academic achievement, health and wellness, positive youth development, prevention services, and self-sufficiency. The organization's mentoring services program matches under-resourced youth between ages 8-17 with mentors for direct, one-on-one services. In 2016, Friends for Youth established Connect, its group mentoring program based at Sequoia High School in Redwood.

Friends for Youth has received acclaim for its highly effective services. In 1988, it created the Mentoring Institute to train and educate other organizations on its successful model. Through this work, Friends for Youth ensures that children and teenagers everywhere have access to the transformative power of personalized mentorship services.