Helping Children Through Tough Times Utah ranks highest in the nation in antidepressant use. According to the Utah state website, “From 2012 to 2014, Utah's age-adjusted suicide rate was 20.8 per 100,000 persons. This is an average of 557 suicides per year. Utah has one of the highest age-adjusted suicide rates in the U.S.” In fact, suicide is the leading cause of death for individuals aged 10 through 24 in Utah. It’s more common than auto accident deaths. Every day 4 people aged 10 to 24 are treated for suicide attempts in Utah. 60-85% of Grand County students in grades 8, 10, and 12 report moderate or high levels of depressive symptoms. Some prevalent risk factors in Grand County make depression and anxiety more likely. Common circumstances that exacerbate depression and anxiety include...

A Link Between Tourism & Mentoring The American outdoor industry is booming, and Moab’s need for youth mentors continues to grow as the region attracts greater numbers of tourists to its natural wonders. Additional visitors apply high demand to the service sector – particularly in the dining, recreation, and hospitality industries. Consequently, seasonal and low-wage workers move to the area. Many parents take on two or three jobs, which may leave children without guidance after school. 95% of mentees qualify for free or reduced lunch. According to CliffsNotes, “Poor families experience much more stress than middle‐class families. Besides financial uncertainty, these families are more likely to be exposed to negative events and ‘bad luck,’ including illness, depression, eviction, job loss, criminal victimization, and family death.” Children of parents with limited post-secondary education may be less likely to pursue advanced education. Students recommended for mentoring often struggle academically and with attendance and social skills. Never before has Grand Area Mentoring received so many mentee referrals from teachers, parents, and counselors. In response to the deluge in 2015/2016, Grand Area Mentoring has supported a record 85 matches to date. Communities of similar size often have difficulty recruiting even half this number of mentors. Combining Moab’s generous citizens with children who most need guidance produces excellent results. Grand Area Mentoring consistently surpasses goals set by...

The Effects of Mentoring The time you invest in mentoring boosts the probability that your mentee will like school more, make better choices, and succeed later in life. If the Josh Shipp video Grand Area Mentoring shared via email didn’t fully communicate the power of a single caring adult, perhaps some data will. While at-risk kids are often expected to do worse academically over time, 60% of mentored youth in Grand County earn better grades. Match length is an indicator of program and relationship quality. While most school-based matches across the country last about six months, Grand Area Mentoring matches last 27 months, – more than 400% longer. Check the box on reverse to celebrate matches that have lasted more than a year! We can’t wait until all of Grand Area Mentoring’s new matches are on this list too! While at-risk students often struggle with escalating behavior issues over time, last year 72% of mentees earned fewer office referrals than during the previous year. 91% of teachers surveyed agreed that mentored youth in Grand County are less disruptive in class. School-based mentoring encourages school attachment. We have watched a student (who originally missed over 20 days of school per trimester) work on an incentive plan with her mentor to improve her attendance to nearly perfect. 95% of teachers surveyed agreed that mentored youth in Grand County miss less school, and many kids say things like: “I didn’t like school. Now I look forward to mentoring and come to school every day.” What’s the magic element? What makes mentoring so powerful? Perhaps we can allow another group of data points to answer this question. When surveyed at the end of the year, parents, teachers, and mentors agree on which student characteristic seems to be most affected – HAPPINESS. Improved mental health is the real reason for the positive effects of mentoring. To you, the mentor, it may feel trivial to spend a fun hour talking, playing, and doing art at school. But to a child who needs more one-on-one time with a caring adult, this hour is...

Mentoring in Moab!

“I’m so happy! I’ve been waiting and waiting to get a mentor!” Unfortunately, some children don’t have access to natural mentors while growing up. To combat this, Grand Area Mentoring links promising youth with the best role models of southeastern Utah. As a result, mentored youth in Moab...