Through our mentorship program, mentors help foster a deeper relationship to teens in foster care ages 13-18. Mentors will be paired with teens chosen by Loving Local, who identify this teen would benefit from support with a trusted adult. Teens are often the age group that are not provided as much support as the younger age. Our goal is to be a resource that does advocate for foster youth and cultivate opportunities for teens to explore the community and form quality relationships with peers and adults.

Teens can choose to to either have a one-on-one mentor virtually- where their mentor checks in on them through email, Zoom, phone calls with parent present. Or, can engage in group mentorship, where two mentors can meet and transport up to 4 foster teens to get ice cream, go to church, attend sporting events, ect. Mentors will take teens out to the community to aid in socialization with peers and adults outside of school and home environments.

Through group mentoring, Teens will get the opportunity to hear and share stories with other foster teens their age going through similar or different situations, and seek/give advice on those circumstances, with a mentor trained on heathy coping strategies as well as de-escalation techniques. Mentors are designed to love, encourage and comfort Foster Teens as they learn to navigate early adulthood in the Foster Care System.