New Youth Perspectives

Be a Mentor - Make a Difference!

Have YOU ever been in a situation where YOU didn't feel comfortable?

How about moving to a foreign country where you struggle to speak the language or understand those around you, have few to no local friends, and do poorly in school as a result?  This is exactly what immigrant/refugee kids experience on a daily basis!  But we have a program to help them along despite these challenges and we NEED YOUR HELP!

Would you be willing to spend about an hour and a half out of your week to mentor one of these kids?  And mentoring doesn't just mean only boring tutoring all of the time but this a chance for you to hang out with them to do whatever you both find interesting including playing basketball or other sports, going shopping, bowling, swimming, building or fixing something, listening to music or whatever else your creative mind can come up with.  You would be amazed what such a simple thing can mean for these uprooted kids for their success in English, behavior, social life, confidence, and grades/school.

This exciting free NEW YOUTH PERSPECTIVES program was developed by Lutheran Community Services Northwest and made possible by a United Way grant.  NYP has taken root in Portland, but has now expanded to Clark County so we really need your help to make this new program a success in Vancouver.

  Who participates?

Male and female youth, ages 12-18 who were born in Eastern Europe and are currently enrolled in Clark County middle or high schools.  These students who come from Slavic countries are predominantly Russian speaking.

Who benefits?

YOU!: You get to learn about a new culture, maybe pick up some words in a foreign language, develop teaching/tutoring skills, make a friend, perhaps gain some service learning credit, as well as feel good about yourself for making a difference!

KIDS: Eastern European youth need English practice, an adult figure in their life to be a role model, and confidence in themselves.  They benefit by learning responsibility, improving academically, and gaining the skills and self-assurance to succeed in school and future careers.

PARENTS: These moms and dads left their homelands in desperation with aspirations for a better life and future for their children.  There is nothing more important for them than their kids’ success and model upbringing.  Our program strives to ease the often-tense relationships between busy parents and their struggling adolescents by providing a social outlet and outside confidant to support them.

SCHOOLS: Schools struggle to provide these immigrant/refugee youth with adequate support and sense the urgency of the situation as many of these kids struggle to learn English, shy away from American friends, isolate themselves socially, academically under-perform and as a result are getting into fights, failing classes, dropping out of school, and falling into illegal activities in ever increasing numbers.  Mentoring has proven to be an effective prevention system to avert this downward slide.

Requirements For Mentors:

• Must be at least 18 years old at the time of their partnership (21&over is preferred)
• All mentors are required to pass a Washington state background and criminal history check which we provide free of charge.
• Willing to meet their kid one-on-one for at least 1.5 hours per week for a period of at least 6 months
• Willing to attend at least two NYP group events per year with their mentee
• Provide either written or verbal reports to Youth Specialists on a monthly basis on activities that took place and on students’ academic progress.
• Eastern European languages are not required; we provide culturally appropriate instruction and interpretation when necessary.

Our Mission is – To provide refugee/immigrant youth with a comprehensive culturally and linguistically appropriate mentoring program designed to improve engagement in school and community, parenting skills of parents of participants, and increase communication regarding cultural barriers between families and community organizations.