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About Us

Hope For Tomorrow Teen Mentoring Program

About Hope For Tomorrow

Who We Are

Hope for Tomorrow is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Minnesota whose mission is to empower young teens to realize their full personal and academic potential by reinforcing critical life skills through mentoring relationships with caring adults.

Every mentoring group partners with a school to form a chapter. Women mentor girls and men mentor boys in separate groups. If there are a girls group and a boys group at the same school, there are two chapters carrying the name of that school. 

The students are nominated by school personnel and participate on a voluntary basis. Mentees are students who have strong potential for personal growth and academic achievement and could benefit from additional support and guidance. The students meet for two to three hours each month depending on the chapter, October through May, with their mentors at their respective schools.

Monthly educational and experiential sessions focused on introducing and reinforcing the life skills needed for success are held at partner schools. Mentors guide mentees to help them gain confidence in making decisions and taking actions that will lead to a happy and accomplished life. Session topics include creating good first impressions, goal setting, the impact of a good attitude, and visits to a place of employment and a post-high school education campus visit.

Separate girls’ and boys’ chapters allow for appropriate gender-specific activities and strengthen the mentor-mentee relationship through shared interests and life experiences.

History

Hope for Tomorrow was launched in 1997 by a group of caring professional women who wanted to make a difference in the lives of young women, and they understood the impact of mentoring relationships in their own lives and careers. They believed that becoming a positive force in a young person’s life can make a difference in what direction that young person will take towards their future.

This group of women established a partnership with a school in Bloomington, Minnesota. This school identified students who could benefit from a mentoring relationship and provided facilities and staff support for the program. The program formed one – on – one relationships between mentors and mentees to help develop essential life skills such as positive self – image, public speaking, and goal setting. The sessions also included a field trip to both a corporation and a college to speak with other adults about their life’s journey. Many of the young women were the first in their household to consider college.

It took eight years for the second chapter to form in Burnsville in 2005, but from there, Hope for Tomorrow began to spread across the metro area. As of fall 2022, 14 middle schools in 6 communities in Minnesota, including Bloomington, Burnsville, Lakeville, Eagan, Rosemount, and St. Paul.

Boys’ chapters began forming in 2008. We now have 5 active chapters in Bloomington, Burnsville, Lakeville and Rosemount.

In recent years, alumni groups have formed in Bloomington and Lakeville. These gatherings with former mentees provide opportunities for mentors to continue to offer support through the students’ high school years.

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