January is National Mentoring Month! At The Adoption Exchange, we’ve witnessed firsthand the power of mentoring relationships for youth in foster care. Several years ago, members of our leadership team were inspired by Kidsave’s Weekend Miracles project and saw a need for a similar program in Colorado. The Adoption Exchange relied on philanthropic dollars from the community and grant funding from the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) to get the new program started. In June of 2016, Kidsave visited Colorado to share what they had learned and train our staff on the hosting model and the program. The Adoption Exchange’s CHOICE Program officially launched in October 2016, when we hosted our first Fall Festival event with Adams County youth.
Thanks to additional support from the Colorado Health Foundation and the Maryellen Aylmer Fund, as well as continued support from CDHS, the CHOICE program expanded to serve youth in Denver County in December 2017 and Jefferson County in April 2019. Although the program is currently active in just three Colorado counties, the CHOICE team plans to expand it to serve all counties in the Denver metro area, and then the south region (El Paso and Pueblo counties) and the north region (Larimer and Weld counties). “Eventually, we would love to have the opportunity to serve all youth in Colorado,” shares Lauren Kapuranis, CHOICE Manager.
The CHOICE team at The Adoption Exchange plans, coordinates, and hosts monthly events for youth (ages 12-18) and potential mentors to get to know each other. As the program’s name indicates, mentor / mentee matches are made based on mutual interest from both parties; instead of being arbitrarily paired, youth and adults choose each other. Once matched, mentors (also known as “host families”) are expected to spend two visits per month with their CHOICE youth for a minimum of one year, although the hope is that these relationships will continue beyond the first 12 months. The locations and activities of the twice-monthly visits can be determined based on the youth’s interests and preferences. One unique aspect is that CHOICE allows mentors to invite their mentee to spend time in their home, giving the youth an opportunity to experience a family environment. There have been 36 matches made in the program’s three-year history, with the longest match lasting 32 months!
Taylor* and Kenny* decided to become CHOICE hosts because they knew that even just one supportive adult can make a huge impact in the life of a child in foster care. “Facts and statistics about the shortage of providers willing to provide a home for teens, the challenges permeating from frequent changes in placements and schools, and the propensity for homelessness all compelled us to become involved with teens in foster care,” Taylor explains. After being matched with their mentee, James*, Taylor and Kenny witnessed the real-life impact of the facts and figures they had read. “Shortly after we were matched with our youth, he changed placement three times in a matter of months,” Taylor says. “Throughout these changes, we were one of very few constants, and our relationship truly blossomed because we spent extensive time with him to help provide a ground floor that he needed in a time of significant change and uncertainty.”
Taylor and Kenny describe their relationship with James as “loving and respectful.” They make a point of incorporating life skills into their activities and time together, providing guidance on topics like higher education, budgeting, and living independently. “We have come to embrace him as a part of our family, and we routinely share in each other’s ups and downs,” Taylor shares. “We feel such a sense of happiness in observing his growth into a young man on a path to success.”
When asked what made them interested in mentoring through the CHOICE program, Summer* and John* responded that that they “wanted to be there for a teenager who needed [them] and whose chances of finding someone to connect with and count on might be slim.” Although the primary goal of CHOICE is to pair mentors and mentees, sometimes host families end up adopting or becoming foster families of a youth with whom they connected through the program. Summer and John adopted their CHOICE mentee, Jasmine*, in August of 2019. One of the couple’s favorite memories of Jasmine occurred during her participation in the CHOICE Program. “She visited our house and wasn’t feeling well,” Summer shares. “At first she was so guarded, but it was nice to see her so comfortable lying on our couch, watching movies with us and letting us take care of her; she seemed to feel safe, at home, and have a sense of belonging with us.” The CHOICE program has connected three youth with adoptive families, and two additional youth are currently in foster placements in their CHOICE mentors’ homes.
The CHOICE Program, though still in its early stages, is one of the ways that The Adoption Exchange is helping ensure that youth in foster care have connections to stable, supportive, loving adults. “We are finding new ways to support our youth and our mentors as they make connections and build a community within the program,” Kapuranis explains. “As we continue to expand and build new connections, we are excited to see how the mentoring relationships develop and discover new ways to support our youth.”
National Mentoring Month may be coming to an end, but perhaps your journey as a mentor is just beginning! “We would encourage others who are serious about making a commitment to a kid to sign up for CHOICE,” Summer says. “There will be awkward moments when you are wondering how to have a conversation with a teenager…but once you’ve connected with one, you will know there are few ways you can more directly make a positive difference in someone’s life, especially your own.” Taylor agrees: “It’s an amazing opportunity for both mentors and youth alike.”
- Learn more about the CHOICE Program (offered only in Colorado at this time).
- Do you live in another US state besides Colorado? Be sure to check out MENTOR’s Connector Tool to find mentoring opportunities in your area.
*Name has been changed to ensure confidentiality.