Support our Annual Campaign
Support the change—together, we can connect more kids with mentors who care.
Our mission is to empower underserved youth through mentorship and community relationships.
Our vision is to provide every young person who needs a mentor with a mentor.
About Annual Impact Campaign 2025
In an unsteady world, connection can make all the difference. For 46 years, Friends for Youth has created the safe spaces where those connections grow, spaces free from judgment, where young people can be themselves and begin to see new futures for their lives. Our annual campaign highlights the stories that show what happens when that safe space is paired with consistent support. Stories of young people who find stability, mentors who show up, and communities strengthened by every match. The impact starts with one connection. And with your support, it extends far beyond it.
Explore the stories behind our work — and help us continue creating them.
Your support will help us expand our 1-to-1 and group mentoring programs to serve more kids. With 60+ youth currently waiting for a mentor, your gift will directly match them with the guidance and support they need.
In 2013, one mentor’s desire to “give back” turned into a friendship that changed both of their lives. Through shared meals, honest conversations, and years of simply showing up, their bond grew into something real, lasting, and transformative. More than a decade later, their bond is still strong, grounded in the feeling Joevanny expressed from the very start:
“What I like most about my mentor is that he gets me."
Hear directly from the kids and mentees in our Friends for Youth mentoring program as they share how the program has impacted their lives. They describe Friends for Youth as a safe, fun, judgment-free space where mentors offer kindness, support, and a place to grow. Their voices show the true power of connection, encouragement, and community.
Students from across FFY programs shared their experiences in a panel — honest, vulnerable, and straight from their own truth. Opening up in front of unfamiliar adults isn’t easy, but they showed courage and conviction, reflecting how far they’ve come and how deeply your support matters. You’ve seen the newsletters. The reports. The photos. But here, you hear it from the source. These students aren’t just participants — they’re leaders, storytellers, and change makers.
This is your impact — in their words.
Mentee Spotlight
From first sharing her testimony at age 16 in our 2023 impact video to being featured again in 2025 (see below), Nathalie has experienced firsthand the life-changing support mentors can provide. After years in our group mentoring program, navigating challenges inside and outside of school, she celebrated a major milestone this past June: graduating high school with her mentors proudly cheering her on. Today, Nathalie attends San Jose State University, serves as a role model for her younger sister, and continues to stay connected with the mentors who guided her. As her mentor Fany reflects, “Her family reaches out if they need anything; they actually all attended our California Classico soccer event post-graduation.”
