Our History

Mid Valley Mentors is a community-based nonprofit agency located in Salem that provides mentoring and support services for at-risk youth and adults in Marion and Polk Counties.

Mid Valley Mentors originated as the Juvenile Enrichment through Mentoring (JEM) Project. In 2003 the Marion County Children and Families Commission implemented a community assessment to identify gaps in services for children and families in Marion County. The assessment identified the need for transition support for incarcerated youth as a priority. A community planning effort involving over 300 individuals representing government, law enforcement, education and nonprofits identified mentoring as the primary strategy to meet this need. As a result, in 2004 the Juvenile Enrichment through Mentoring (JEM) program was initiated by the Marion County Children and Families Commission.

The JEM program model was based on effective national programs such as JUMP and Big Brothers Big Sisters and utilizes evidence-based practices to meet and exceed state and national quality assurance standards for mentoring programs. JEM began as a pilot project serving 15 youth on probation with the Marion County Juvenile Department, placing them in one-to-one relationships with adult mentors. By design, JEM began as a volunteer-driven mentoring program that recruits, screens and trains volunteer mentors. Once paired with a mentor, youth benefited from one-to-one mentoring for a minimum of one hour per week for one year. The goal of the project was to provide support, guidance and friendship of a caring adult mentor to increase the likelihood of successful reentry into the community.

Within months of launching, JEM received a federal grant from the US Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug-free Schools to expand the program to provide prevention-based mentoring and support services for at-risk middle school youth. Under the three year grant, the program was managed by a consortium of the Marion County Children and Families Commission (government), Willamette Education Service District (educational agency) and Catholic Community Services (nonprofit). Through this consortium JEM partnered with Claggett Creek Middle School in Keizer and Leslie Middle School in Salem and targeted services to at-risk students with multiple risk factors, including those failing two or more classes or with multiple behavioral referrals or suspensions. Through the project, participants benefited from

• one-to-one mentoring
• academic support/tutoring
• violence prevention education
• community violence awareness
• educational and cultural activities
• exposure to higher education
• parental involvement activities
• recognition for positive gains

Under the federal grant, JEM contracted with a consultant to conduct an independent formative and qualitative evaluation to measure the effectiveness of program participation.

In a three-year independent study conducted by the University of Oregon Institute on violence and destructive behavior, youth reported that because of their mentor:

• 93% felt more supported
• 71% made better use of their time
• 94% increased positive values
• 81% had higher expectations for themselves
• 74% felt more empowered
• 86% had a more positive identity

In addition the group showed a 13% reduction in substance abuse and 27% reduction in violence.

With access to federal training and technical support through the grant, JEM staff received on-site assistance and review of operations which resulted in the recommendation to become a nonprofit agency. After careful review and planning, the JEM coordinator and steering committee established Youth Impact, now known as Mid Valley Mentors, as a 501c3 in September 2006 to provide an independent entity to oversee and implement the JEM program and ensure sustainability for continued services. Over the last few years, Mid Valley Mentors has designed and implemented various mentoring-based prevention and intervention programs for youth. Prior programs operated by Mid Valley Mentors included:

1) YES Program, a summer day program for youth on probation who were court ordered to day supervision (2007)

2) Career Mentor Program which provided career focused mentoring for high-risk young adults including those with a criminal record (2007-2009)

3) Gang Intervention Program which provided staff-driven mentoring and cognitive skills training for gang affiliated and gang involved youth on probation (2008-2009)

In 2009 Mid Valley Mentors received a federal grant as part of the Marion County Reentry Initiative (MCRI) to add a second mentor program to serve adults transitioning out of incarceration back into Marion County. This program has been named the Reentry Solutions Program (RSP).

Today Mid Valley Mentors programs continue to provide critical supports for at-risk populations through evidence-based mentoring that builds protective factors and develops positive pro-social and life skills needed for successful community living.