In Collaboration with Be A Mentor, Inc

OUR MISSION City of Dreams is dedicated to helping at-risk youth build brighter futures.

The Programs: At City of Dreams, we provide caring mentorship in group settings and one-on-one matches, designed to help young people understand the value of staying in school and avoiding teen pregnancy, drugs, and gangs. Through our experiential learning, one-on-one mentoring, and community development, we expand our kids’ perspectives and promote their self esteem. We believe that learning, seeing and doing new things—and then reflecting on those lessons learned—are crucial to helping our kids think critically, identify what’s important to them, and pursue their dreams. We teach our kids that with the right intent and focus, Anything is Possible!

Experiential Learning: City of Dreams hosts 24 experiential learning events annually designed to encourage young people to think critically. We believe that learning through experience and reflection is critical to retention and understanding. We create events that take our kids out of their element and give them a healthy avenue to explore, take risks, and learn about themselves and others. Each experience challenges them to solve problems, overcome fears, work as a team, try new things, explore creativity, embrace support, and identify their options.

Mentorship Program: We reinforce the value and the lessons from the experiential learning events with one-on-one mentoring relationships. We pair our kids with caring mentors for a two-year period to provide a positive, stable, and supportive role model outside of their core family. Our focus is on children between the ages of 10 and 14, because at age 10 they’re capable of comprehending the new ideas they’re exposed to at our events, and, at age 14, they’re still open to those ideas.

 Our mentors participate in our sponsored events with their mentees, and then take time with them to reflect on the experience, how it felt, and what they learned about themselves and others in the process. We believe that this one-on-one discussion and reflection is critical in helping our kids transfer what they’ve learned from an experience into a skill they can use throughout their lives.

Community Development: We also strive to make the communities we serve a better place for children to grow up. A few times each year we gather our kids, their families and our staff, mentors and volunteers to reach out and help those beyond our program. Whether we’re giving away backpacks and school supplies, planting flowers, or distributing and wrapping holiday presents, our kids and their families walk away from each event empowered and confident that they can make a difference in their community.

Getting involved is easy!  Click on "Volunteer Now" to complete an application and City of Dreams will give you a call

For the safety of our children, all volunteer mentors must complete an on-line application and undergo a background investigation.