A community mentoring program renewing and sustaining hope in youth.
Circles of Care (CoC) is a transformative mentoring program designed to assist individual young people in making constructive decisions for their lives. CoC helps youth to move from merely surviving to thriving on their journey to adulthood. Rooted firmly in the belief that young people will do well if they can, CoC meets youth where they are now, engages them in conversations about their lives and empowers them to believe in themselves and their futures!
How does it work?
- Typically, beginning in the 8th grade, CoC works with adolescents who are beginning to make life defining decisions about who they are and what they will be.
- Each young person’s CoC provides structure for communication and planning by using a “Board of Advisors” meeting format.
- The business of the board is the success of their president through collaboratively solving issues that arise and participating in activities the build youth self-awareness.
- The role of board members is to support and advise their “President” so that they may better understand the options available to them.
- Meeting approximately twice a month (or as needed) for an hour, each “Board of Advisors” is made up of a family member, a peer mentor, two volunteer community members, and a facilitator.
Goals & Outcomes
The goal of CoC is to increase assets in the lives of young people by:
- Increasing parent resiliency and coping; skill and knowledge; and effective family communication.
- Increasing youth skills; competency; confidence; social and emotional development; social connections; and community engagement.
- Providing concrete support in times of need in order to promote youth voice and choice.
Get Involved
Our volunteers are individuals who are looking to invest in the future of today’s youth and tomorrow’s leaders. If you are interested in becoming involved in a Circle of Care or learning more about other volunteer opportunities at The Game Loft, please contact us:
78A Main St.
Belfast, ME 04915
(207) 338-6447
info@thegameloft.org