Several hundred children in the 608 are in need of a mentor
Kinship, Inc.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County
Kinship, Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization that believes in and promotes the concept of youth mentoring. The National Kinship office exists to serve as a resource for established and emerging local Kinship affiliates. There are currently two Kinship Affiliates operating in the Madison Region, Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County and Kinship of Richland County, Inc.
- AGE RANGE: Enter at 5-14 years old and stay until 18 or High School graduation
- TIME COMMITMENT: 1 hour per week minimum for 1 year.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County
Since 1966, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 18, in our Dane County community. They develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people.
- AGE RANGE: 6-18 years old
- TIME COMMITMENT: 2-3 hours per outing, 3-4 times per month for 2 years.
Boys & Girls Club of Dane County
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County
Boys & Girls Club of Dane County
At Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, it is their goal to lead the way in youth development programs by working together with local businesses, foundations, and community programs to produce positive outcomes for nearly 7,500 young people and their families. Affiliated with Boys & Girls Club of America, their Club is led locally by a dedicated team of professionals specializing in youth development, business management, and community outreach.
Dear Diary
Drive to Succeed
Boys & Girls Club of Dane County
This program is hosted by Charles Hamilton Houston Institute, Inc. Dear Diary strives to recruit young girls of color who are navigating challenges in life such as school truancy, juvenile delinquency, and social/emotional trauma for group and/or individual mentoring from mentors who are women of color that reside in Dane County.
Drive to Succeed
Drive to Succeed
Drive to Succeed
This program is a collaboration between JustDane and Operation Fresh Start, Inc. This program helps youth obtain their high school diploma, WI Driver's License and gain self-efficacy skills through group mentoring. Mentors will work with youth in high school and help assist with youth leaving high school to assist with re-orienting into the community through group mentoring.
- AGE RANGE: 17-21 years old
- TIME COMMITMENT: 1.5 hours per week for at least 1 year.
First Tee
Drive to Succeed
Drive to Succeed
The mission of the First Tee – South Central Wisconsin is to impact the lives of young people and their families by providing educational programs for youth that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf.
- AGE RANGE: 7-10 years old
- TIME COMMITMENT: 1-10 hours per week (flexible)
Inspire-Madison Region
Just Dane-Mentoring Connections
Inspire-Madison Region
Inspire helps schools, business groups, companies and community-based organizations easily connect to build the future workforce in Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson and Sauk Counties. There are opportunities for an individual to be a "Career Coach" to answer questions or opportunities for a business to be involved to offer career exploration/job shadowing/internships.
- AGE RANGE: 6th - 12th Grade
- TIME COMMITMENT: 1-12 hours/month - flexible
Intentional Mentoring
Just Dane-Mentoring Connections
Inspire-Madison Region
After noticing gaps in mentoring and support for students, Intentional Mentoring participated in 10 years of research to identify aspects of a program that would better fill the community needs and support local organizations. The outcome of this research outlined what is now Intentional Mentoring Inc.
- AGE RANGE: grades 6-8
- TIME COMMITMENT: 1+ hour weekly (in-person) with another couple of check-ins per week.
Just Dane-Mentoring Connections
Just Dane-Mentoring Connections
Just Dane-Mentoring Connections
Just Connections is comprised of three JustDane programs: Mentoring Connections, Family Connections, and Reading Connections. Mentoring Connections is designed to invest in the future of youth in Dane County who are affected by parental incarceration by matching them with a caring, adult mentor. Family Connections provides opportunities to maintain and strengthen relationships within families affected by incarceration through organizing regular monthly visits between imprisoned mothers and their children. Reading Connections offers parents whose children reside too far away for regular visits an opportunity to bond with their child and encourage their reading.
- AGE RANGE: 5-17 years old
- TIME COMMITMENT: 1-1.5 hours weekly (flexible) for at least a year.
Maydm
Mentoring Positives Inc.
Just Dane-Mentoring Connections
Maydm provides girls and youth of color in grades 6-12 with skill-based training for the technology sector. Maydm’s holistic approach prepares students from traditionally underrepresented populations to engage in and revolutionize the tech industries.
- AGE RANGE: grades 6-12
- TIME COMMITMENT: 1 session per month.
Mentoring Positives Inc.
Mentoring Positives Inc.
Mentoring Positives Inc.
Mentoring Positives Inc. (MP) is an innovative, referral-based mentoring program that works directly with kids and families throughout Dane County and its surrounding areas. Founded in 2004 by Will and Becky Green, Mentoring Positives offers a range of positive programs for elementary, middle, and high school-aged youth.
- AGE RANGE: The average mentee is around 15 years old.
- TIME COMMITMENT: Weekly-Biweekly check-ins.
Midwest Mujeres
Retention Advancement & Mentoring of Young Professionals Program (R.A.M.P.)
Retention Advancement & Mentoring of Young Professionals Program (R.A.M.P.)
Midwest Mujeres Collective helps women-identifying folks upskill their soft tech skills and receive practical mentoring for communications and professional development. They help grow their digital presence for professional development and help them build their own platform, business, and careers, all while creating authentic content that helps build a positive representation of marginalized communities. They provide mentoring for micro-leaders, a reputable platform, facilitation skill-building, and entrepreneur consulting.
- AGE RANGE: The average mentee is 25-35 years old.
- TIME COMMITMENT: 1 hour per week or about 5 hours per month
Retention Advancement & Mentoring of Young Professionals Program (R.A.M.P.)
Retention Advancement & Mentoring of Young Professionals Program (R.A.M.P.)
Retention Advancement & Mentoring of Young Professionals Program (R.A.M.P.)
An Urban League of Greater Madison initiative, the mission of the Retention Advancement and Mentoring Young Professionals (R.A.M.P.) program is to ensure that African Americans and other community members have opportunities for upward mobility, professional networking and a sense of community in their careers and the Madison area.
- AGE RANGE: 20-40
- TIME COMMITMENT: 2-4 hours per month for at least 6 months.
SCORE Madison
Retention Advancement & Mentoring of Young Professionals Program (R.A.M.P.)
Trained To Grow, Inc.
SCORE has served as America’s premier source of FREE business mentoring and education. They provide expert mentoring and education to thousands of startup and existing businesses, just like yours. Their goal is for you to receive the help you need to be successful in your business with focused assistance in the areas of business planning, marketing, accounting and finance, and more.
- AGE RANGE: Adults
- TIME COMMITMENT: Up to 10 hours per week on an ongoing basis.
Trained To Grow, Inc.
Urban League of Greater Madison- Youth Programs
Trained To Grow, Inc.
Trained To Grow, Inc. (TTG Inc.) is an organization established for the purpose of empowering and equipping Madison’s youth to become the leaders of their generation. TTG Inc.’s mission is to give youth the support, confidence and resources to excel in every area of life. TTG Inc. focuses on developing youth intellectually, emotionally, academically and mentally.
- AGE RANGE: 14-17
- TIME COMMITMENT: At least 1 check-in per week.
United Way of Dane County HIRE Initiative
Urban League of Greater Madison- Youth Programs
Urban League of Greater Madison- Youth Programs
Be involved with HIRE, an initiative of United Way. A mentor can help a job seeker, help someone with their GED test, mock interviews, resume writing or trainings. Help provide internships to help people learn about different industries. People who are seeking a mentor or someone who wants to be a mentor can learn more below.
Urban League of Greater Madison- Youth Programs
Urban League of Greater Madison- Youth Programs
Urban League of Greater Madison- Youth Programs
Urban League of Greater Madison's mission is to ensure that African Americans and other community members are educated, employed and empowered to live well, advance professionally and contribute to the common good in the 21st Century. They accomplish this mission through a network of programs and services aimed at wrap around community support.
- AGE RANGE: 10 to 14 years old (grades 6 to 8)
- TIME COMMITMENT: One 45-60 minute session per week for at least one academic semester.
Young Life
MENTOR Greater Milwaukee
MENTOR Greater Milwaukee
Young Life is a worldwide organization with a growing local presence in Dane County. The world of adolescence continues to be a place of great pressures to perform and socially be accepted. Their faith-based programming provides space for caring adult mentors to enter the lives of our community's teenagers from all backgrounds. Serving on the front lines, they enter into the conversations of hope, belonging and a chance to discover a purpose for their life.
- AGE RANGE: Teens
- TIME COMMITMENT: 2-5 hours weekly during the school year.
MENTOR Greater Milwaukee
MENTOR Greater Milwaukee
MENTOR Greater Milwaukee
MENTOR Greater Milwaukee is a "mentor connector". They will increase Mentoring relationships by building the capacity of existing mentoring organizations by matching a caring adult with children in need through safe, effective mentoring programs throughout Greater Milwaukee. Whether you're a program, mentor, parent/guardian, or a young person looking to find more information, it's all here.
MENTOR Greater Milwaukee is also beginning to work in the same capacity in the Madison Area.
- AGE RANGE: Varies
- TIME COMMITMENT: Dependent upon mentoring organization.
Mentoring in the news
Dane County Expands Mentoring Program for Youth Involved with Crime
Dane County leaders announced Thursday the expansion of an “intensive mentoring” program to support at-risk children who are susceptible to committing crimes and hopefully prevent them from going further down a criminal path.
As a part of the program, 49 young people will be matched up with an adult mentor who has experience with the criminal justice system. The adults are to meet or talk with the children two or three times a week and form “deep personal relationships” with them, said Renee Moe, president and CEO of the United Way of Dane County, one of the organizations that will help run and fund the expanded program.
'Change is possible': Madison Leaders Launch PSA in Effort to Stem Gun Violence
Corey Marionneaux said he “straddled the fence” growing up, earning good grades in college but also getting involved in criminal activities. For those struggling to survive, violence can become a lifestyle, he said, and transitioning to something positive is continuous work.
Seeking to offer those resources — and following a sharp increase in shootings last year — Madison leaders are hoping a new public service announcement about gun violence will resonate with youth caught up in the juvenile justice system.
The group released the five-minute video Thursday as part of a partnership to mentor justice-involved youth by connecting them to adults who have similar experience with violence, incarceration and poverty.