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Kinship North
Kinship North was established in 1997 as the only formal mentoring program in the Bemidji area. Kinship North is a member of the National Kinship Affiliate and the Minnesota Kinship Alliance. Kinship North is a program of Healthy Community Healthy Kids and United Way of the Bemidji Area.
Kinship North serves youth ages 5 through 15 in the Bemidji area by matching them with caring adults who will act as friends and positive role models. Mentors share their own interests with their Kinship Kid or can help youth develop new interests of their own.
The mission of Kinship North is to improve the lives of children by helping them establish relationships with adult mentors who will offer stability, asset building,
enrichment, support
and friendship.
View Kinship
Newsletters
Why is mentoring important?
A Mentor can be a..........
- Friend
- Cheerleader
- Listener
- Coach
- Tutor
Research has shown that a child who has a mentor is less likely to become involved in high risk behaviors and can help a young person to grow up healthy. Children that grow up with a mentor with positive role modeling in their lives are less likely to:
- Use illegal drugs
- Begin using alcohol
- Skip school
- Engage in school violence
Increasing numbers of young people are missing out on something important in their lives.
They lack the opportunity to establish positive, supportive relationships with adults. In addition to helping to stop the negative behaviors
mentoring also improves lives of youth in the
following ways:
- Improves communication skills
- Builds self-esteem
- Develops good work ethic
Why should I become a mentor?
The benefits of mentoring go both ways. Adult mentors often find mentoring experiences to improve their lives in many ways. Mentoring lays the foundation for better relationships with family, friends and coworkers.
In addition mentors often have the following experiences:
- Mentors find they learn more about themselves while playing a positive role in a child’s life
- Increases patience
- Gains friendships
- Makes an individual feel they were effective in a child’s life
- Gains experience and ability to learn new skills such as listening
- Increases your sense of responsibility and accomplishment
For more information and stories on mentoring go to the MENTOR
website.
What does it take to be a Kinship North Mentor?
- Must be 18 or older
- Must be willing to go through a criminal background check and reference checks
- Must commit to one year of mentoring the same child
- Must have two available hours per week to volunteer
- Must have concern for the well being of children in the community
- Must have transportation
Kinship North has an open heart to volunteers that would like to help in other areas of youth
Mentoring that include: Fundraising and participating in Kinship activities. You can be a valuable
resource in a child’s life! Contact Kinship North for more information on volunteering at kinshipnorth@hotmail.com
Kinship North
403 4th Street NW, Suite 245
Bemidji, MN 56601
Phone: 218-333-8794
Fax: 218-333-8795
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