YouthZone Hosts Colorado Mentoring Partnership Meeting in Glenwood Springs

For non-profit organizations like YouthZone, mentoring is an important component for continued success.  Recently, YouthZone hosted a relatively new organization, Colorado Mentoring Partnership (CMP), and a number of representatives from non-profit entities throughout the Western Slope for a collaborative meeting to better understand the state of mentoring in Colorado.

Founded through the passion and vision of mentoring organizations in Colorado, CMP’s mission is to champion a collective movement in Colorado that will improve the number of quality mentoring relationships for young people.

On Monday, December 8, CMP Executive Director, Brad Strong, and Training Manager, Audrey Love Siegfried, joined 12 non-profit representatives for an informative introductory meeting to CMP at YouthZone’s headquarters in Glenwood Springs.  Although based in Denver, CMP strives to support non-profits throughout the state, as evident by the meeting’s broad representation of organizations from Garfield, Lake, Mesa, Park, Pitkin and Summit counties.

“For years, non-profits have been taught to differentiate themselves from other organizations,” said Strong.  “We’re often competing for similar grants, sponsorships and donor dollars, which inherently drives us to separating ourselves from like-minded entities.  With the development of CMP, we’re hoping to bring everyone together for more cohesive, collaborative relationships, as we have a great deal we can learn about each other that will only help us all succeed.”

According to CMP, research has found that effective mentoring works to increase youth outcomes and strengthen communities.  To amplify the effect of mentoring, CMP supports the growth and development of more than 40 mentoring agencies throughout Colorado.  This continued partnership between organizations is intended to create more high-quality mentoring programs, while making better use of existing resources and matching more young people in quality mentoring relationships.

CMP is currently leading projects and initiatives that are designed to:

• Improve Quality – Foster effective mentoring programs to increase the number of quality mentoring relationships with a lasting impact on youth and communities.
• Strengthen Results – Gather and build data, assessments and evidence that will promote learning, support organizational improvements and decisively communicate the value of mentoring.
• Increase Engagement – Leverage the strength of an increased network of volunteers, donors and partners, improving and growing mentoring throughout the state.

This recent meeting served not only as in an introduction to CMP and the mentoring initiatives they’re leading, but also provided details on future plans and how organizations can be involved.  Still in its infancy, CMP is currently attracting more organizations to be part of the ongoing dialogue and is seeking to gain board members from across the state to ensure inclusiveness from different areas.  With initial funding provided by the generosity of Alpine Bank, CMP is off to a strong start.

As the organization continues to develop and hold similar meetings, CMP will help non-profits understand best practices for creating, maintaining and growing mentoring programs. CMP plans to visit community “hubs” throughout the state on a quarterly basis, as continued participation and dialogue will allow member organizations to get the best value from their relationship with CMP and other non-profits.

For more information on CMP, please contact Executive Director, Brad Strong, at [email protected]