Friends of the Children - Seattle

Mission

Friends of the Children - Seattle (Friends-Seattle) is dedicated to impacting generational change by helping youth who are facing the toughest systematic barriers in our community realize their power through relationships with salaried, professional mentors--for 12+ years, no matter what.

How It Works

At Friends of the Children-Seattle, we believe that every youth deserves the chance to discover their own potential to create positive change – for themselves and their community.

We partner with schools and accept referrals from the foster care system to select youth in our community facing systemic barriers.

We pair youth with a professional mentor from kindergarten through high school completion. Full-time, salaried mentors support youth to: 

• Be prepared for post-secondary education and/or employment.
• Develop positive goals for the future.
• Develop a healthy lifestyle.

On average, our professional mentors provide 12-14 hours of service and support per youth each month, and conduct at least 4 outings per youth each month.

Mentors spend intentional time with youth at school, in their neighborhood, and out in the community. Together, they work towards individualized Roadmap Goals related to program outcomes through activities such as:

• Spending time with or on behalf of the youth in school - working with teachers, advocating for individualized academic plans and supporting older youth to advocate for themselves.
• Creating connections with other youth, caring adults, and community resources. 
• Exploring their interests and sharing in new experiences, like visiting museums, participating in outdoor activities, or taking an art class.
• Connecting youth to career-building opportunities like internships and job shadowing.
• Helping youth build coping skills and regulate emotions.
• Being a consistent adult in the youth's life as they navigate the foster care system.