Youth Enrollment

Is Your Child Eligible for Great Life Mentoring?

  • Eligible youth are between the ages of 9 and 16, receiving mental health services in Portland, OR or Clark County, WA and are from a household with low income (for example, the child is eligible for Medicaid, OHP, or free or reduced-price lunch at school).

  • Because Great Life Mentoring (GLM) is currently involved in a research study, interested parents and youth should contact the research team to learn more.

More about Great Life Mentoring

Great Life Mentoring (GLM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that utilizes trained community volunteers as mentors to improve the mental health conditions of children from households with low income.

Since 2000, GLM has partnered with mental healthcare organizations to provide nearly 100,000 hours of consistent support and hope to over 1,000 young people. The program has been recognized as a Research-Based Practice by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy and an Effective Practice by the U.S. Department of Justice based on preliminary evidence of effectiveness.

The Interest in Research

To provide more rigorous support for the program’s effectiveness, GLM is currently involved in a randomized controlled research trial (RCT) conducted by the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC).

This RCT (the Study of Mental Health and RelaTionships or “SMART”) assesses the impact of GLM on the mental health and well-being of youth receiving publicly funded mental healthcare. Putting the program to the test in this way is essential for GLM: Rigorous evidence of effectiveness supports fundraising and GLM's ability to grow and serve more youth in need.