MENTOR Washington

For over two decades, MENTOR Washington has been at the forefront of fostering meaningful connections that change lives. Our commitment has supported a beautifully diverse community of youth across Washington State, guiding them through challenges and opportunities alike.

Simply put, we believe that young people don't stand a chance of being happy and healthy unless the adults around them are equipped and ready to support them in meaningful ways.

Youth We Impact:

• 51% of youth in Washington mentoring programs are involved with the juvenile justice system or experiencing foster or kinship care.
• 74% of these young individuals come from low-income households, facing unique challenges that require tailored support.
• 64% of mentored youth identify as BIPOC, bringing diverse perspectives and enriching the mentoring experience.

Supporting Youth Workers and Mentoring Professionals

Through training, capacity building, program coaching and quality program assessments we offer youth mentoring programs a variety of avenues for ensuring their programming is evidence-based and reaching optimal outcomes with and for youth.

Supporting Mentors

At MENTOR Washington, we believe every young person deserves a champion. Through advocacy, training, and direct support, we empower mentors and programs dedicated to nurturing the potential of every child. Our ongoing efforts ensure that mentors are equipped to provide the guidance and support that make all the difference.

MENTOR Washington is proud to work with so many agencies in Washington State. We have developed partnerships and deep relationships over the past 20 years. We work collaboratively to directly support vulnerable youth as well as impact systems change. MENTOR Washington is a critical part of the safety net for the most vulnerable youth in Washington State.

Mentoring is an evidenced-based prevention strategy for substance abuse and positively impacts behavioral health. Our partners at the Health Care Authority collaborate with MENTOR Washington to review mentoring programs who apply for HCA funding, ensuring that programs are indeed implementing best practices for mentoring.

We also partner with Washington's Rural Prevention Partners bringing resources and capacity building supports for the unique challenges rural communities face.

Our partnership with DCYF goes all the way back to our roots. The work began at DSHS and has transitioned to DCYF. We collaboratively support mentorship for youth experiencing foster care and the juvenile justice system.  

MENTOR Washington provides critical support to programs providing mentorship to the most vulnerable youth in our communities. This is achieved through shared work with DCYF staff members including professional development and robust programming such as our pilot for Mentoring Youth Experiencing Foster Care. This pilot launched in 2023 and MENTOR Washington brings together DCYF staff, mentoring providers and young adults with lived experience to implement best practices.

The education of Washington youth is a critical component of a young person's growth and development. Our partners at OSPI know that relationships between educators and students matter. A community's support is also critical for healthy schools and OSPI has proven to be champions of mentoring time and time again. 

Strong critical thinking skills help us make better decisions, solve problems more effectively, and lead with greater confidence.

Join MENTOR Washington and Bank of America for a virtual Critical Thinking Workshop designed to introduce participants to the fundamentals of critical thinking and provide practical tools that can be applied in the workplace and beyond.

Training Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM–1:00 PM
Location: Virtual

During this interactive session, participants will explore what critical thinking is, why it matters, common barriers that can get in the way, and a simple process for approaching challenges with greater clarity and intention.

Participants will learn how to:

• Explain how critical thinking can strengthen teamwork and leadership
• Identify common barriers to effective critical thinking
• Apply a structured critical thinking process
• Determine the root cause of a problem
• Use tools and strategies to continue strengthening critical thinking skills

Whether you are leading a team, supporting young people, managing programs, or navigating everyday organizational challenges, this workshop will offer practical strategies you can put into action right away.

This virtual training is offered in partnership with Bank of America.

Register Here

MENTOR Washington is proud to offer Youth Mental Health First Aid, a nationally recognized certification course designed to help adults identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among young people ages 12–18.

This virtual training will be facilitated by Jolynn Kenney, Executive Director of MENTOR Washington. Jolynn is a certified Youth Mental Health First Aid instructor with a Master of Education in Counseling and more than 25 years of experience working with young people and the adults who support them.

Training Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM–2:00 PM
Location: Virtual
Registration Deadline: Monday, August 3, 2026

This course includes 2 hours of required self-paced online pre-work before the live session. The live class will include approximately 5 hours of interactive virtual instruction, and participants must be on video to complete the certification.

Participants may choose between two registration options:

Virtual Certificate with Digital Materials: $50 per person
Includes PDF versions of course materials.

Virtual Certificate with Printed + Digital Materials: $85 per person
Includes printed materials shipped to you, plus digital copies. Participants requesting printed materials must register by August 3 to allow time for shipping.

Paid registration helps cover the cost of the licensed certification seat and course materials. Scholarships may be available for those who need support.

Register today to become better equipped to support the mental health and wellbeing of young people.

Register Here

What should you do when a young person tells you they are feeling anxious, or when you notice they are beginning to avoid school, friendships, activities, or new experiences?

Join MENTOR Washington for Supporting Youth with Anxiety: Practical Strategies for Mentors, a virtual training led by licensed clinical psychologist and researcher Dr. Alex Werntz.

Training Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM–1:00 PM
Location: Virtual

This session will explore how anxiety can show up in children and adolescents and provide practical, evidence-based strategies mentors can use to respond with greater confidence and care. Participants will learn how to recognize signs of anxiety, validate a young person’s emotions, encourage resilience, and provide meaningful support while staying within the unique and important role of a mentor.

In this training, participants will explore how to:

• Recognize common ways anxiety may show up in children and adolescents
• Respond when a young person shares that they are feeling anxious
• Validate emotions without reinforcing avoidance
• Encourage confidence, resilience, and healthy coping
• Support young people while maintaining appropriate boundaries within the mentoring relationship

This training is designed for mentors, mentoring program staff, and other youth-serving professionals who want practical tools for supporting young people experiencing anxiety.

About the Trainer

Alex Werntz, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist and researcher with expertise in youth mental health and mentoring. She is the co-owner of Cville Family Therapy, a private practice in Charlottesville, Virginia, and previously led research on mentoring and youth development at the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring.

Dr. Werntz earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Virginia and has published research on anxiety, mentoring relationships, and digital mental health interventions. She is passionate about helping mentors apply evidence-based psychological principles to better support the young people they serve.

What does it mean to grow up as a boy or young man today, and what happens when the relationships, community, and systems around them are not meeting their needs?

MENTOR Washington is proud to partner with the Washington Initiative for Boys & Men to bring Gone Guys to communities across Washington. Through documentary screenings and facilitated conversations, we are creating space to explore the experiences of boys and young men and consider how mentorship, connection, belonging, and community can play a meaningful role in helping them thrive.

About Gone Guys

Gone Guys examines some of the challenges facing boys and young men today and invites communities to look more closely at the conditions shaping their lives.

The film creates an opportunity to move beyond statistics and assumptions and toward deeper conversations about what young people are experiencing, what may be missing, and how families, mentors, educators, youth-serving organizations, and communities can respond.

More Than a Screening

Following the documentary, attendees will join a community conversation featuring local voices working alongside boys and young men.

Together, we will explore questions such as:

• What are boys and young men telling us they need?
• Where are young people finding meaningful connection and belonging?
• What role can mentoring relationships play?
• What barriers are preventing young people from accessing support?
• How can communities build stronger systems of connection before young people reach a point of crisis?

Our goal is not to leave the conversation in the room. It is to create opportunities for connection, shared learning, and action that communities can continue building upon.

Spokane Screening

We are excited to bring Gone Guys to Spokane, Washington, in partnership with local organizations committed to supporting young people and strengthening community.

MENTOR Washington and the Washington Initiative for Boys & Men are grateful to be joined by our Spokane-area program partners:

• If You Could Just Save One
• Communities In Schools of Northeast Washington
• LaunchNW
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Inland Northwest

Together, these partners bring important local perspective, relationships, and experience to the conversation. Their work reflects the kind of community infrastructure that helps young people feel connected, supported, and surrounded by adults and organizations invested in their well-being.

Spokane Event Details
September 24, 2026
6:30-8pm
Magic Lantern Theater

This event is free and open to the community.

REGISTER HERE

Coming to More Washington Communities

Spokane is one stop in a growing series of Gone Guys screenings and community conversations across Washington.

MENTOR Washington and the Washington Initiative for Boys & Men are working with local partners in additional communities to create opportunities for people across the state to watch the film, hear from local voices, and explore what stronger support for boys and young men can look like in their own communities.

More screening dates, locations, and community partners will be announced soon.

Check back for upcoming events and opportunities to join the conversation in a community near you.

Why Mentoring Matters

Young people benefit from having caring adults who listen, encourage them, believe in their potential, and help them navigate challenges and opportunities.

Quality mentoring can be one part of a larger community of support surrounding a young person. By strengthening mentoring programs and increasing access to meaningful relationships, we can help create environments where boys and young men feel seen, connected, supported, and hopeful about their futures.

Building Community Together

Supporting boys and young men is not the responsibility of one organization or one sector. It requires families, mentors, educators, youth-serving organizations, community leaders, and systems working together.

Through Gone Guys, we hope to create space for communities to listen, connect, learn, and identify ways we can collectively build stronger environments of support for the next generation.

Join us for the screening, stay for the conversation, and be part of what comes next