Reach & Rise offers friendly ear, safe space
Talk is cheap, the saying goes, but sometimes having someone to talk to is priceless.
That’s the mission of the Butler YMCA’s Reach & Rise youth mentoring program: giving young people a place to share their experiences and have an adult mentor to listen.
“This is an evidence-based national program that helps kids rise to a better future,” said Jessica Burr, the clinical director of the Butler YMCA’s Reach & Rise. The free program is financially supported by the YMCA’s Annual Support Campaign and is recognized by the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Program.
“I recruit the kids and the mentors, train all the mentors to manage things that may come up,” said Burr, who oversees the program.
The program is limited to participants aged 6 to 17. The mentoring program matches up to eight participants similar in age with two trained adult volunteers acting as mentors.
For more information or to register for a fall session of Reach & Rise, call 724-287-4733 ext 136 or email jburr@bcfymca.org.
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