Pathways Danbury Boys’ Mentoring
Naomi Girls’ Mentoring
The principle of bridging the gap between youth and Jesus is present in, and undergirds, all we do. But here is where we focus exclusively on Jesus as the center of the mentoring relationship.
Our two flagship mentoring programs - Pathways and Naomi - link middle and high-school-aged boys and girls with men and women (respectively) for longer-term one-to-one relationships intended to last at least two years, but ideally through high school graduation. Traditionally, these relationships are 1:1, but we also have small-group mentoring opportunities.
Mentors serve as friends, advisers, and role models and help students develop into strong and mature Christ-followers.
(Throughout this season of COVID-19, mentors and mentees continue to meet in safe, socially distant ways.)
There are plenty of statistics about the impact of fatherlessness on our society:
Poverty: 90% of all homeless children are fatherless
Substance abuse: 71% of all substance abusers are fatherless
Emotional health: 80% of adolescents in psychiatric homes are fatherless
Academic gap: Fatherless kids are 9X more likely to drop out of school
Crime: 70% of adolescents in correctional facilities are fatherless
Unplanned pregnancy: 70% of teen pregnancies are to fatherless youth
But, while they’re important, they’re just statistics … and there will always be statistics.
But what about ONE LIFE? What if a mentor invests in just ONE person ... a boy or girl destined for a life tainted by drugs or struggling with fallout from a broken home or a parent who is incarcerated or addicted?
To that ONE, life would be 100% changed. THAT is why we mentor.
Jericho’s mentors don’t replace parents. Instead, mentors are asked to BE PRESENT. CARE. BE A SAFE PLACE. LISTEN with COMPASSION. OFFER SOUND GUIDANCE. The key is CONSISTENCY.