Best Friends Mentoring Program
Mentoring Makes a Difference!
Program Brochure
Tell us about your mentor and win a prize!
Our Mission
Making a difference in the lives of children and families, one at a time.
Our Programs
Our Best Friends Mentoring Program matches adult role models with children who need positive adult guidance and friendship.
Our School-Based Mentoring Program matches adult volunteers with students at area elementary, junior high, and high schools to meet one-on-one during the school day.
Our Goals
- Provide mentors for youth in need of support and encouragement.
- Provide a quality program to the community through employees and volunteers who are appropriately trained and supported by our organization.
- Communicate the mission of the Western Wellness Foundation and promote the Best Friends Mentoring Program through public relations and fundraising events.
- Build capacity for positive change regarding the condition of children and families in the region.
- Sustain the Best Friends Mentoring Program.
Mentoring
| We serve school-aged children ages 6-16, providing a caring, responsible adult mentor who will be a warm, supportive friend to the youth. The matches meet once each week for an hour or more to do mutually enjoyable activities (playing games, cooking, throwing a football at the park, watching a movie, cooking, caring for pets, etc.) for at least nine months. |
Ralph and Kurtiss at the fishing derby. |
Social Activities
| At least quarterly, the Best Friends Mentoring Program provides a social activity for all children in the program (whether matched or not) and their families, for adult volunteers and their families, and for other program supporters. These free activities range from a swimming party, picnic with old-fashioned games, fishing derby, pumpkin carving and fall crafts, bowling party, etc. |
U.S. Forest Service hosted a fishing derby for Best Friends. |
Mentor Training
The Best Friends Mentoring Program values and supports its mentors. We conduct orientation sessions and other training sessions on a variety of topics such as Building Trust, Building Your Relationship, Setting Boundaries and Limits, Valuing Differences, Stress Management, and Recognizing Drug Use. The Case Manager contacts each mentor, child and parent regularly to troubleshoot any problems and to celebrate successes. Visit the Volunteer page for more information on becoming a mentor.
Mentoring Makes a Difference
A recent study examined the impact of mentoring on youth and found that when compared to their peers, Junior Friends who met regularly with their Senior Friends (mentors):
- 46% less likely to start using drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking.
- 52% less likely to skip a day of school. The children not only skipped school less, but also earned higher grades and felt better about how they were doing in school.
- 1/3 less likely to hit someone else.
- More trusting of their parents and guardians, less likely to like to them and felt more supported and less criticized by their peers and friends.
Do you:
Enjoy being a friend?
Want to make a difference in a child’s life?
Have an hour per week to share with a child?
A child is waiting for you!
Call the Best Friends Mentoring Program today
701-483-8615
1-877-877-8685 toll free
Best Friends Mentoring Program
135 W. Villard St.
Dickinson, ND 58602-0542
Best Friends Mentoring Program is currently accepting referrals for children in SW ND who need an adult best friend. Call for an application form or more information!
Or download a print (viewable in Adobe Acrobat) or email (viewable in Microsoft Word) copy of the Mentoring Application, then either E-mail or postal mail it to us.
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