‘Our Youth Are Struggling’: Lewis County Seeks Volunteers to Help Expand New Mentorship Program

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Lewis County began looking for a new Youth Mentorship Program coordinator last November. The program coordinator the county selected, Lisa Leon, is now looking for new volunteer mentors to expand the program. 

Leon, along with Lewis County Juvenile Court Probation Manager Rickie Anders, sat down with The Chronicle to talk about the program, which was started last year. Leon said wanted to get involved because she saw that youths in the county needed mentorship.

“Our youth are struggling and they have those barriers where just having a supportive adult can really help with overcoming them,” Leon said. 

She said having a mentor reduces the chance a child will start using drugs, improves academic success and betters overall mental health. Leon cited research that found youth who have a mentor are 47% less likely to use drugs and 52% less likely to skip school. 

The mental health aspect was especially imperative to Leon due to the uptick of youth suffering from anxiety and depression over the past few years.  

All that’s required of mentors is they spend at least one hour a week with the youth — about five hours a month — for one year or longer. 

“We provide ongoing training and support knowledge for the mentors as well as the youth and their families,” Leon said. 

To become a mentor, one must pass a background check, take part in an interview and complete a minimum of six training sessions on top of participating in ongoing monthly training sessions after completing the initial training. 

Once fully trained, mentors will be paired one-on-one with a youth selected by the program. Mentors are not allowed to meet with the youths in private or secluded areas, only in public locations.

Leon said she prefers mentors to meet as a group, especially with access to the county’s pro-social group activities. The activities provide access to community-partner hosted events such as bowling alley trips or skate nights at the Rollerdrome. 

Community partners include the Centralia Rollerdrome, Fairway Lanes, Schilter Family Farm, Dutch Bros. Coffee, the Auburn Valley YMCA and the United Way of Lewis County. 

“We’re also going to have things like kayaking and fishing and going on hikes together,” Leon said. 

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office have been involved with the fishing and kayaking trips. Anders said the county has extra equipment to use to ensure nobody is left out of the group activities. 



“A mentor could come and if they don’t have a kayak, then we can provide a kayak for the youth and the mentor,” Anders said. 

Other upcoming group events in the works for youths and their mentors include trips to Joint Base Lewis-McChord and the Seattle Seahawks training camp. 

“(The Seattle Seahawks training camp trip) is one of our big ones that we’re working on and we’re really excited for,” Leon said. 

She stressed the need for volunteers as the current highest priority for the program, because no matter what the youths are doing, they still need support and guidance from an adult. So far, six mentors have signed up for the program and are undergoing the initial required training with more applicants coming in, Leon said. 

While the mentorship program is being funded through Lewis County’s Juvenile Court, it’s not just for youth going through the court system, Anders said. Anyone between the ages of 12 and 17 who feels they would benefit from a mentor can sign up to be a part of the program. Parents and guardians can also sign youths up.  

“Referrals (for kids needing mentors) are also coming in from schools. Our schools see the kids before we do,” Leon said.

Anders said the new mentorship program aims to prevent youth from falling into delinquency in the first place, as historically the Lewis County Juvenile Court only dealt with juveniles who had already been processed through the court system. 

“There’s just so much research out there that shows prevention is honestly the key to pretty much everything,” Anders said. 

Leon and Anders hope to begin matching mentors with youth by the first week of June. 

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer in the Lewis County Youth Mentorship Program can email Leon at Lisa.Leon@lewiscountywa.gov or call 360-520-3711 for information on how to apply. 

Anyone who knows a child they want to refer to the program — including a child who is looking for a mentor — can also email or call Leon. 

For more information, visit https://lewiscountyuw.galaxydigital.com/agency/detail/?agency_id=148811.