Mentoring focuses on building healthy supportive relationships between a caring adult and a child/youth. Mentoring creates opportunities to help youth dream beyond their current life challenges and set a path toward personal and academic success.

Mentoring can help youth as they go through challenging life transitions, including dealing with stressful changes at home or transitioning to adulthood. Close, healthy, supportive relationships between mentors and mentees that last for a significant portion of time (i.e., a year or more) are central to success.

The La Porte County Mentoring Collaborative was formed to promote mentoring throughout our local communities, share best practices to support our youth, and work together to provide effective mentor training.

United Way of La Porte County conduct a Youth Mental Health Community Needs Assessment in 2024 to describe the scope of youth mental health issues across the community, as well as to identify best practices to address youth and community mental health needs.

This report features an array of data on behavioral health resources and needs in La Porte County, with a focus on short-term and long-term solutions.

Research shows a child’s first few years are critical to developing a strong foundation for success in school, work and life. That’s why United Way has such a strong focus on early learning, wherever kids are being cared for. Helping childcare teachers, caregivers, and families get support and training lets them provide that strong foundation. And helping community partners empower themselves improves childcare quality and access.

Academics and graduation rates improve when kids get extra help outside the classroom. There are physical and social-emotional benefits, too. But many families don’t have access to tutoring, afterschool care, or summer programs. United Way works with educators, families, and partners to close gaps, such as having community hubs at schools help families access food pantries, job training and other resources.

Reading matters! By fourth grade, kids should be reading to learn rather than learning to read. And if a child isn’t reading well by then, the road ahead is tougher. So we encourage volunteers in childcare centers and classrooms to read aloud and get more books into more kids’ hands.

Young people have to navigate an increasingly competitive college and career landscape, so we provide access to the skills they need to succeed in school and in the workplace. We collaborate to bring education, training, and job placement resources to young adults living in La Porte County.