Youth Rise @ Circle Faith Future is a group of like-minded individuals and community members that seek to provide quality, innovative, and stable group and 1:1 mentoring to incarcerated youth. Our motto is “listen, listen, love, love” which supports our core values of listening, cultivating community, anti-racism awareness, and practices of peacemaking.
Volunteer mentors provide the backbone of leading youth to successful outcomes. Research shows that if youth have just one reliable adult in their life, their outcomes are much more successful. Mentors are asked to commit to regular schedules and time spent with youth, and participate in trainings including, trauma informed care, racial justice, intercultural development, mentoring incarcerated youth, and self-care. The efforts of youth mentors can make a tremendous difference in the life of a young person. If you are interested in supporting this effort as a mentor or through community support, please contact Fr. Micah Wilger. To learn a little bit more about how mentors feel about their work, please view the stories playlist on YouTube.
We are currently looking for volunteers to offer services as mentors and group leaders in religious, spiritual, and secular contexts at Echo Glen Children's Center or at King County Juvenile Detention. Any who volunteer will need to pass a state-issued background check and it is recommended that folks get their vaccinations! Incarceration settings are high-risk environments for transmitting viruses, so safety and self-care is important along with protecting our vulnerable youth.
The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves. - Steven Spielberg
Additionally, we are working closely with Friends of Echo Glen Children's Center (Juvenile Detention) to provide life-skill mentoring programs and service projects co-created with the incarcerated youth at Echo Glen. See more here.