Evidence-Based Youth Mentoring Program Great Life Mentoring Expands to Portland Area
Starting 5-year study evaluating the effectiveness of mentoring relationships
Excited doesn’t describe how we feel as we announce that Great Life Mentoring is expanding to serve youth in the Portland, Oregon, area starting January 2, 2024. This first expansion is 23 years in the making and marks a landmark in our history. The organizations Founder and Executive Director, Elizabeth Higley says, “Having lived in Portland for over 30 years, I have a special place in my heart for the city, and the children that live there. Expanding to serve youth in the area is a dream actualized and we are beyond excited to get kids signed up for our mentor program.”
Youth Mentoring in Portland, Oregon
Our youth are struggling. We have seen firsthand over the past two decades serving Clark County, Washington, how having a dependable, engaged adult who is not a family member or an authority figure in their lives can positively affect youth from low-resource families who are receiving mental health services.
Behavioral and mental issues are symptoms of a greater issue: When we have no joy, no hope, we have to find some way to express it. Dr. David Pitonyak explains that “Behavior issues are about unmet needs, which stem from loneliness and isolation.”
What we have found through our youth mentoring program is that the mentors give these kids what they so desperately need: hope and belonging. And with that, the youth are free from their own behavioral issues during their weekly mentoring outings. In our 23 years, we have not had one child act out while spending time with their mentor one on one. A study on Great Life Mentoring done by the University of Massachusetts in 2007 supported this finding, with youth in the program expressing that time with their mentor was relief from stress and relief from their own behaviors.
We are now taking our evidence-based formula, which includes intensive training and screening of mentors, to serve youth in the Portland area because we know we can have an impact there too.
And it’s not just the youth who benefit. Our average mentor match lasts four years, with mentors expressing that they became a mentor to change a life and ended up having their lives changed as well. You’ll meet just once a week for a couple of hours to do a fun activity, but the ripples reach far beyond. If you are ready to be a compassionate and present listener to a youth in Portland, Oregon or Clark County, Washington, fill out our Mentor Application.
5-Year Study on the Effectiveness of Mentoring Relationships Through Great Life Mentoring
Our expansion is the perfect time for a new study! We are partnering with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) to launch the “Study of Mental Health And RelaTionships (SMART).” The 5-year study will evaluate our youth mentoring program’s effect on youth who are receiving publicly funded mental health services. 180 youth will be chosen for the study: half will go into our mentoring program while continuing their mental health services and the other half will continue with their mental health services as usual.
This study will help mentoring programs across the country as we all work towards finding meaningful and cost-effective ways to help give youth the support they need to have a hopeful and bright future.
To learn more about the study and whether your child is eligible, visit the University of Illinois Chicago SMART Research project web page to get started.