About Us

Nonprofit Mission Statement

The mission of the United Mentoring Program (UMP) is to serve at-risk youth in our community by taking a tangible and practical approach in conjunction with aligning them with mentors and resources that will empower them to develop into their full potential, prepare them for life as an adult, and transform them into a positive influence in our community.

Project Objectives

United Mentoring Program office and training facility is in a 10,000-square-foot facility located in downtown Lansing, Michigan. UMP will focus on the key elements which are: Education, Life Skills, Career Development, Community Service, and Mentoring.

  • Education – Access youth grade level, provide educational deficits and provide tutoring.

  • Life Skills – Financial literacy, personal grooming, time management, and social skills.

  • Career Development – Identify youth career interests, and provide talent tours and job shadowing.

  • Community Service – Engage youth in community service outreach projects.

  • Mentoring – Provide each youth with a caring adult to create a long-term relationship.

UMP operations rely heavily on youth and mentor recruitment, family engagement, and engaging youth sessions to facilitate an effective mentoring program.

  • Youth Recruitment - Youth will be recruited from the community, school districts, probation courts, youth centers, and referrals.

  • Mentor Recruitment - Mentors with career backgrounds similar to the career pathways that the youth are interested in pursuing. Mentors and youth will also be matched based on interests, hobbies, and values.

  • Family Engagement – Family engagement is a critical component of mentoring programs. UMP will, monthly, engage families, guardians, or other supportive adults in program activities through multiple strategies designed to enhance the success of participating youth.

  • Engaging Youth Sessions - UMP will provide group sessions weekly, as well as individual mentoring, and mentor and parent training quarterly.

Impact on Local Community

Due to the increase in violence, poverty, homelessness, and high dropout rates; at-risk youth are more vulnerable than ever. These youth are involved in, or at risk of becoming involved in the juvenile justice system, and are already experiencing truancy, discipline issues, arrest, incarceration, gang involvement, substance abuse, trauma, and other risk factors.

UMP provides a hands-on approach to reaching our youth by utilizing group, peer, and one-on-one mentoring to promote the successful transition to employment, continued learning opportunities, and independent living. UMP also partners with many local businesses and organizations to expose our youth to different environments and to develop lifelong relationships. Local businesses and organizations support our youth directly and/or indirectly by lending their resources and expertise. UMP strongly believes that mentoring takes a community effort and that every available and willing resource plays a significant part in supporting our youth and their development.

Target Audience

Our target audience is at-risk youth between the ages of 12-19 years old. At-risk youth are often the ones who can benefit most from the opportunities for personal development and the essential life skills provided by youth mentorship programs. However, disenfranchised youth, those at risk of dropping out of school, involved in the juvenile justice system, runaways, and homeless youth, seldom benefit from traditional youth programming. As a result, evaluation of youth programs often does not show a great deal of impact for “at-risk” audiences, as they are rarely reached. UMP is committed to going above and beyond some of the traditional means of mentoring. UMP is also committed to involving every aspect of the community to work together to reach our youth.

Measuring Outcomes

UMP uses Innovative Mentoring Software to manage all our mentoring program’s initiatives, maximize participant engagement, streamline data collection, and simplify reporting. UMP can report measurables monthly, quarterly, yearly, or as needed.