GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — A year long initiative promoting youth mentorship was launched Wednesday in Brown County.
They’re calling it “The Year of Pals Mentorship”.
County officials along with the Green Bay Packers, Oneida Nation, and the Brown County Sheriff’s Office hope to recruit adult mentors to provide support and guidance to youth involved with Child Protective Services. County Executive Troy Streckenbach says mentorship programs have had success before.
“One of the biggest things that have helped people through the veterans court or the drug court…is someone coming up to them and saying ‘I’m here to help you’,” said County Executive Troy Streckenbach.
Streckenbach says it can help kids stay out of serious trouble and break the cycle of poverty and crime.
“What we’re trying to do is be really intentional and break this viscious cycle that seems to be generational,” said Streckenbach.
The Pals Program is a county program that helps connect adults with youths to mentor. The mentor visits the youth once a week and spends time with them.
“We have a waiting list of kids who are asking for once a week time,” said Streckenbach. “Time to be shown that there’s a better outcome for this child.”
Many of the children involved in the Child Protective Services system have been exposed to drugs and crime in their home lives.
“The cost is the time of the community–not the Government,” Streckenbach told WTAQ. “With Government, we can say, ‘hey, we see this, but we need the community to come fix this with your time and effort.’ It’s not something we can do by ourselves.”
There’s more info on how to join the Pals program at Brown County’s website.
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