Empowering our community, one relationship at a time.
What We Do
Community-based mentoring
Since our inception in 1986, one-on-one partnerships between a youth and caring adult have been the foundation of what we do. Through careful screening, training and ongoing support, we ensure our volunteer mentors are equipped to support a meaningful relationship with a young person.
Our youth-first focus provides us with the lens necessary to ensure we are helping provide safe spaces for our youth. This means emotionally, physically and spiritually. With an intentional eye on diversity, equity and inclusion, we do all we can to make sure everyone in our programs feels seen, valued and affirmed as they are.
The process begins with an application for both youth and their caregivers and our volunteer mentors. Mentors also undergo comprehensive criminal and motor vehicle background checks, reference checks and in-home interviews to ensure they can provide a safe space for youth. We also provide training to set our mentors up for success!
After we receive a youth application, we sit down with our youth and caregivers to get to know them so we can make the best match possible. We check in with caregivers and mentors each month to see how things are going and how we can best support the match to have the most successful relationship possible.
school-based mentoring
Our mission is to provide intentional opportunities for meaningful connections, and sometimes those connections last a lifetime and others for a school year. Through our Lunch Buddies program, we connect volunteer mentors with elementary-aged kids for a lunchtime connection point. Volunteers meet with youth over two lunch periods per month. For only two hours per month, our partnerships create wonderful relationships that benefit both the youth and our mentors!
Lunch Buddies is more structured than our community-based programs, and a Kinship staff person is always on-hand to provide activities and support.
School staff and caregivers have said kids enrolled in Lunch Buddies tend to have better attendance at school, diminished behavioral issues, and a better attitude!
Our Service areaes
Our community-based programs are available throughout Crow Wing County and parts of southern Cass County.
Our school-based programs are currently in Brainerd and Crosby-Ironton elementary schools.
If you are interested in services in areas not listed, please contact us so we may learn more about your community needs and support structures!
Frequently asked questions
Do I need any special skills or background to be a good mentor?
The answer is no. If you have a healthy desire to engage with and support youth, you have something to offer! Our youth come from all sorts of backgrounds, and you would bring your own unique lived experience any kid could benefit from!
My kid has two engaged parents and a stable home, can they still be in Kinship?
Absolutely! The truth is, everyone benefits from mentoring, and, aside from age and geograpahy, there are no requirements for youth to be in our programs. We welcome all kids interested in having another caring and supportive person in their lives!
I don’t have a lot of money, so I worry I wouldn’t be a good Kinship partner.
We understand that concern, and we want to emphasize that there is no financial commitment to being a mentor. There are all sorts of fun activities all around our community that cost nothing to enjoy. Our staff can help you identify many ways to have fun with a partner without spending a dime!
Resources
We strive to be your local resource when it comes to mentoring and issues affecting our youth and greater communities. We also aim to be a connection point between our community members and other available resources. This is not an exhaustive list, so if you are looking for support you don’t see here, we will do our best to point you in the right direction. You may also contact Lakes Area United Way for more resources.
Lutheran Social Services – www.lssmn.org
Bridges of Hope – www.bridgesofhopemn.org
Bridge on 7th – 18+ overnight warm shelter – 1926 7th St S, Brainerd
My Neighbor To Love Coalition – long-term housing – mntlc.org
Salvation Army – www.salvationarmy.org
Sharing Bread Soup Kitchen – www.sharingbread.com
Crow Wing County Community Services – www.crowwing.gov
Cass County Human Services – www.casscountymn.gov
WeARE – The Clinic – www.wearebrainerd.org
Brainerd Baxter Youth Center – The Shop – www.theshopbrainerd.org
Cuyuna Range Youth Center – www.cryc.org
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