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BVSD highlights student mentorship program as model of youth-led support
Summary
Teens Inc. and BVSD student mentors described a four-year mentorship program pairing high school students with fourth graders; the program grew from 12 mentors to 22 and is funded by PTAs and Teens Inc., with hopes to sustain recruitment as mentees age into high school.
Max Maarhausen, community mobilizer at Teens Inc., told the Boulder Valley School District board on Nov. 18 that a student-led mentorship program launched in January 2023 has expanded and now pairs high-school mentors with fourth graders to ease transitions to middle school.
"We are now in our fourth year of the program and we have our largest group yet. We have 22 mentors and there are 32 fourth graders," Maarhausen said, describing funding from PTAs and Teens Inc. and the program’s four training sessions for mentors each year.
The program, coordinated with the Mountain Coalition for Youth and the Youth Leadership Academy, began with roughly 12 mentors and about 26 fourth graders, Maarhausen said, and now involves roughly 54 students in the same space during activities. He described an early focus on rapport-building games and structured prompts to help mentors and mentees connect, and said mentors transition to planning and facilitating activities midyear.
Student mentor Isaac described a personal payoff from four years of participation: "I've done this for, like, 4 years, and it's been, like, the coolest experience so far," he said, noting he has mentored about six students and called the work "so, so, so beautiful."
Board members thanked the presenters and noted the program’s potential to build continuity as mentees move into older grades. Superintendent Dr. Anderson and board members pointed to the program as an example of community partnerships—Teens Inc., PTAs and local schools—supporting students beyond the classroom.
The board received the presentation as an information item; no formal action was taken. Staff and presenters said they intend to continue recruiting and work to sustain the program as the original mentees approach high school.
