“I’ve learned that no matter what, you will always be able to find someone who cares about you and wants you to be here and will support you,” said 13-year-old Rowan from Florence. “And I did learn how to make an omelet, too.”
Newport-based non-profit Mentoring Plus works to build relationships with 13 to 21-year-olds. Some of those youths have had long-term exposure to neglect, violence, abuse and mental health issues and are referred to the program through local juvenile justice offices, schools, or community organizations and agencies.
Mentoring Plus Program Director James Ramsey said that when the organization has enough volunteers, the goal is to pair every kid with a mentor. They pair them with someone who has like-minded interests, someone they connect with and get along with, and who has more life experience.
Mentoring Plus volunteer and Newport resident Brooke Alini has been with the organization for about nine months. She said the expectation for volunteers is to show up, so Alini is at Mentoring Plus every Monday evening.
“If you can, as an adult, show them, I was in your same position, and I now do this, it just kind of shows them it doesn’t have to be what you only see in your bubble,” Alini said. “All the volunteers here, we’re all very different. We all come from different paths. We all have different stuff going on. I think it gives a nice little overview of, like, what you could be as an adult.”
Rowan has been with Mentoring Plus for about a year.
“I heard that this was a great community, and really fun and healing for like, mental issues to be here,” Rowan said. “So, kind of decided to come here and meet the community and be a part of the community.”
Ramsey said most of the youth Mentoring Plus services are for 13- to 17-year-olds and come from Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties. The organization is located at 840 Washington Ave. in Newport, but Ramsey said the goal is to expand into other counties through public libraries.
For kids who can’t make it to Newport and are comfortable taking the bus, Ramsey said the organization is also working to secure bus passes for youth who need transportation.
The biggest challenge Mentoring Plus faces, though, is finding volunteers.
“If we have more volunteers, that means I can do more things with the kids,” Ramsey said. “It means that we can reach them in different ways. I can give the kids more guidance, and we’ll have additional people just on the team.”
The job can sound intimidating, but Ramsey said the same as Alini, all you have to do is show up one night a week.
“We’re very flexible,” Ramsey said. “So, if you can’t make it every single week, we totally understand. Our goal is that you can come as much as you can, once a week, for as long as you can or as long as you want to; the workload is nothing.”
Volunteers help supervise the youth and get paired with groups during structured activities. The sessions are all pre-planned, and volunteers are only expected to experience the activities with the kids.
The organization tries to help youth build foundational skills such as communication, leadership, confidence-building, time management, and responsibility. Once those base skills are established, they work on practical life skills such as getting a license, applying for a job, and budgeting.
Ramsey said the youth typically stay with them for about 6 months, but can stay as long as they want until they’re 21.
As someone who grew up in a low-income home with a single mom, Alini said she can relate to what the kids are going through in that sense, but can also show them that they can get out of whatever situation they are in now. Through her volunteerism, Alini said she is reminded that teenagers just need to be teenagers, and sometimes they need to be reminded of that.
At Mentoring Plus, the youth set their own goals. As someone who wants to be an author in the future, Rowan’s goal is to write at least one chapter or one short story a month.
“Something I really like about this place, I really like how much we’re almost like a family,” Rowan said. “We’re all together, we’re all helping each other, we’re all talking and laughing, and it’s just a lot like a community and family here.”
To inquire about becoming a volunteer for Mentoring Plus, click here.
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