By Shannon Lukens for Steamboat Radio/Blizzard Broadcasting. Courtesy photos.

January is National Mentoring Month. Here in Northwest Colorado, Partners for Youth provided more than 130 youth with mentors last year, in both Moffat and Routt counties. There is a list of youth waiting for trusted mentors, if you can help. Look for the Get Involved tab at PartnersYouth.org

Apply Here or call 970-879-6141 ext. 304 or 301.

 

Press Release from Partners for Youth; Jan. 23, 2026

PARTNERS FOR YOUTH CELEBRATES NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO – January is National Mentoring Month, and this year Partners For Youth is preparing to celebrate its 30th anniversary and exciting program growth and successes. Partners For Youth supports youth in the Yampa Valley through mentorship, empowerment, and trusted adult engagement so that they can face life’s challenges and thrive.

National Mentoring Month is a time to celebrate the mentors who make a real difference in a young person’s life and to encourage anyone who’s been thinking about mentoring to take the next step.

Only 17% of low-income, rural youth have access to a trusted mentor. Through community-based, school-based, and peer mentoring programs, Partners served more than 133 youth in 2025 and addressed this gap for many vulnerable youth. 

“Our school-based mentor’s presence and impact on our students is palpable every single day. She is a trusted adult for so many of our struggling students, and it’s evident that they’ve made progress with their social skills and attendance since beginning to work with her” says a school staff member about the impact of their School Based Mentor.

Research shows that mentors play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to make positive choices, attend and engage in school, and reduce or avoid negative behaviors. In turn, these young people are:

●       55% more likely to be enrolled in college.

●       81% more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities.

●       78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities.

●       More than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team.

Mentoring makes a difference, and Partners hears that message daily from both youth and mentors. “It’s rewarding to pass on knowledge and make a difference in someone’s life. It reminds me of my own struggles at that age, and having positive role models is why I do what I do today,” shared a current Partners mentor.

National Mentoring Month is the time of year where engagement from community members interested in becoming a mentor is highest. This year, with the support of the mentoring community, we are encouraging adults within the Yampa Valley community to go beyond just digital engagement and become involved in real life. Mentoring relationships are at their best when connections are made between a caring adult and a young person who knows that someone is there to help guide them through life choices.

Partners always has youth on their waitlist. To become a mentor, please visit partnersyouth.org to take the first step via the “Get Involved” page and apply here. 

ABOUT Partners For Youth– Partners’ support youth through mentorship, empowerment, and trusted adult engagement so that they can face life’s challenges and thrive. 

ABOUT MENTOR

MENTOR is the unifying champion for expanding the quality and quantity of mentoring relationships across the United States. MENTOR was created 35 years ago to expand opportunities for young people by building a youth mentoring field and movement. The result: a more than 10-fold increase in young people in mentoring relationships. Today, MENTOR is the expert voice representing a movement that meets young people everywhere they are – from schools, to workplaces, and beyond. MENTOR operates in collaboration with 23 Affiliates providing local servant leadership and expertise across the nation, with several more in development.