Our Waitlist

The youth we serve have generally struggled in other programs and are referred to Friends for Youth by youth-serving professionals due to social, emotional, and behavioral health stressors. One in three young people will reach adulthood without a mentor of any kind - including natural mentors (e.g. parents/guardians/teachers). The numbers are higher among underserved communities, with the combination of racial and fiscal inequalities creating adverse conditions for our clients, making them incredibly vulnerable.

We have a 65 youth waiting to be matched with a caring mentor.

Click the names below to learn more about some of their stories.

A Snapshot of the Youth We Serve:

• Mentees are predominantly of Latinx (72.9%) background.

• 17% of our kids identify as LGBTQIA+.

• 100% are low-income; 85% of them very low income.

• 52.7% come from single-parent family structures.

• Most of our youth live in families with domestic dysfunction and are exposed to violence, physical and emotional abuse, substance abuse, and gang pressure.

• Around 20% have or have had an incarcerated parent.

• About 10% are foster youth or kinship.

• 10% have experienced homelessness.

• 40% have been subject to or are perpetrators of bullying.