Did You Know?

Campus Corps is a unique service-learning program. The heart of the program is a 3 credit course that provides CSU students with the opportunity to make a difference in a youth’s life, while building their own professional and personal capabilities.

“Campus Corps influenced me in terms of volunteering and service work. This kind of thing can change a person’s life.” -youth mentee

Did You Know?

Youth attending Campus Corps face of many hardships:

 Poverty  Family instability or difficulties  Mental and/or physical health issues  Inadequate social support and/or peer acceptance  Academic underachievement  Substance abuse challenges

“Before, I hung out with people who were smoking pot and stuff. Coming here made me realize I didn’t want to hang around people like that.” -youth mentee

Did You Know?

 Student mentors from over 80 different majors on CSU’s campus participate in Campus Corps.

 Mentor participation in the program is associated with 63% lower odds of dropping out of CSU in any given year.

“Lately people have been telling me how great I am, they like my personality and sense of humor. I learned not to just stand back and watch, but to actually meet people. It actually has changed my life a lot.” -youth mentee

Did You Know?

Campus Corps is gaining national recognition for several unique components of the program:

     Mentoring occurs on a university campus as part of a service-learning course for academic credit One-on-one mentoring occurs in a group setting Mentoring pairs are organized into Mentor Families Therapists are onsite to support youth as needed Each mentee chooses their own mentor from mentor profiles

“I’ve made some new friends and had a lot of fun!” -youth mentee

Did You Know?

Campus Corps conducts extensive research on the efficacy of the program. Findings include that youth:

  Attend school more regularly Have improved academic performance  Use less alcohol and drugs  Engage in fewer delinquent behaviors  Enjoy better mental health  Have stronger social support and social skill

“It helped with my relationship with my mom. Before, we argued a lot and we didn’t get along. My mentor gave me tips to go home and deal with the problem. It helped a lot with that and my relationship with my brother,” -youth mentee

Did You Know?

During the 12-week program (4 hours weekly) mentees receive:

        One on one mentoring Academic support and career planning Positive social skills development Assistance with goal setting A motivational and encouraging environment Fun and supportive role models Exposure to a university campus and higher education Family style dinner

“I feel more open and talk to people more than I used to.” -youth mentee

Did You Know?

Campus Corps is designed to prepare university students to become highly skilled, civically engaged human service professionals and community leaders.

”I’m a lot better when it comes to approaching situations more calmly and dealing with conflict in a more responsible way. “ -youth mentee

Did You Know?

Campus Corps is unique in offering a therapeutic approach to mentoring:

   Doctoral-level licensed Marriage and Family Therapists direct and supervise the program Instructors are family therapy graduate students Therapists provide support to youth during the program for issues such as: Substance Use Social Anxiety Depression Being Bullied at School Family DifficultiesSuicidal Ideation Abuse Trauma

“My relationship with my Dad has changed a lot because my mentor taught me how to interact better with people. Lately, I’ve been getting along with my Dad and he has been treating me way differently…positively. “ -youth mentee

“Before Campus Corps, I thought, “Oh I’m never going to succeed; I’m never going to get anywhere.” Then I came here and got the support that I needed. I’ve noticed that if you get the right support and give the right support, you get to where you want to be. Now that I’ve been here, I feel like if I want to do something, I will do it no matter how many people tell me I can’t. My mentor has been a big part of this.” -youth mentee

Did You Know?

     Campus Corps is offered four evenings per week Youth mentees attend one night a week from 4:00-8:00 pm Campus Corps serves over 300 youth per year Approximately 25-35 different mentor-mentee pairs attend each night for the 12 week session Many mentors and mentees return for multiple sessions

How is an evening of Campus Corps structured?

3:00-4:00 Pre-Lab for CSU students (mentors only) 4:00 Youth mentees arrive 4:00-4:30 Mentor Families explore campus on Walk & Talk 4:30-5:30 Supporting School Success (tutoring) 5:30-6:00 Family Style Dinner 6:00-7:00 Pro-social Activity (e.g., sports, art, music) 7:00-8:00 Pro-social Activity (e.g., sports, art, music) 8:00 Youth mentees depart 8:00-9:00 Post-Lab for CSU mentors only

Pre-Lab, 3:00-4:00 pm

Led by Family Therapists, CSU student mentors to prepare for the evening by:

   Brainstorming strategies to meet the unique and individualized needs of each youth Discussing issues affecting youth, such as bullying, academic challenges, and family relationships Learning and practicing evidence-based ways to improve mentorship, such as Motivational Interviewing, life skills training, and diversity awareness

Walk and Talk, 4:00-4:30 pm

Upon arrival to Campus Corps, youth go on a established walk around campus with their mentor and Mentor Family. Walk and Talk provides an opportunity to:

 Relationship building between mentor-mentee pairs  Get some exercise and spend time outside  Explore campus, majors, and career opportunities

“It made me want to go to college more, that’s for sure. I had thought it might be too much work, but I see that my mentor is getting her work done and having fun. It definitely upped the ante on wanting to go to college.” -youth mentee

Supporting School Success, 4:30-5:30 pm

Together, student mentors and youth mentees monitor the mentees’ grades and attendance each week.

CSU student mentors tutor their youth mentee on homework, applications to college, job searches, etc.

“My attendance got better. I think I ditched only once this year, but last year I ditched once a week” -youth mentee

Did You Know?

Campus Corps is grounded in evidence-based practices for youth mentoring and is conducting rigorous research to maximize its intervention effects. We are developing and testing our unique mentoring program components, and disseminating our research nationally.

“My grades have actually gone up. They were really bad last year. My mentor has actually started helping me with my work which has made me feel like I can do it.” -youth mentee

80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

Did You know?

72% of youth mentees reported better relationships with others, including peers, family members, and teachers.

Did you know?

75% of youth mentees reported improved attitudes about future plans regarding school and career.

Referrals to Campus Corps

   

Schools (Poudre and Thompson School Districts)

 Truancy & Expelled student programs  School Counselors & Social Workers  School Resource Police Officers

Department of Human Services (DHS)

 Abused and neglected youth

Juvenile Justice System

 District Attorney  Probation   Senate Bill 94 Restorative Justice  Center for Family Outreach

Human Service Agencies

 Touchstone  Childsafe  Crossroads   Private Therapists Bipolar and Depression Clinic  Matthew’s House   Housing Authority Center for Couple and Family Therapy  Larimie River Valley Rendezvous   Remington House Turning Point Human Svc 22% Court 36% Schools 33% DHS 9%

Criminal Offenses of Youth Mentees

Assault 4% Interference 4% Crim. Mischief/Dis. conduct 6% Harassment 7% Trespassing 8% Theft 15% Other offenses 20%

DID YOU KNOW?

Campus Corps is a learning community  That engages CSU students with at-risk youth  1 of 17 learning communities on campus

Campus Corps Learning Community

Participation in CCLC allows students to:

  Gain experience working with at-risk youth Develop relationships with other CCLC students and faculty  Develop leadership skills  Build resume and professionalism  Help to improve the lives of local youth

Did You Know?

Campus Corps involves and provides support to families.

   Parents/ guardians attend the youth’s initial intake and the graduation ceremony. Parents are informed weekly of their child’s progress during the program directly by the mentor and case manager. Parent education and support, referrals to community resources, emergency intervention, and therapy services are readily available.

“I had low grades, mostly F’s and now I don’t have any. Now I just go to class on time. My mentor would help me with homework sometimes or we would go and check my grades.” -youth mentee

“When my grades were low, I was kind of like, ‘Whatever. I’m not going to pass; why should I even bother?’ But you know, after my mentor helped me get my grades up, I was like ‘Okay, I can do this.” -youth mentee

Family Style Dinner 5:30-6:00 pm

   Participants enjoy dinner with their Mentor Family A hot nutritious meal is provided by The Food Bank of Larimer County This meal is important because many youth are food insecure

Pro-Social Activities 6-7pm and 7-8pm

 Mentor pairs participate in two one-hour activities each night.

 All activities promote creativity, positive, and fun social interactions.

 All activities are created and run by CSU mentors and sometimes even by the youth!

Types of Activities

• • • • • • Sports Art Crafts Music Dancing Creative writing • • • • Gardening Cooking Social Justice Awareness Science projects Community Services projects (e.g. baking cakes shelters, letters to military)

Did You Know?

Research results show that among the youth that attend Campus Corps, they improve in the following areas:      Reduced truancy Reduced substance use Reduced delinquent behavior Improved attitudes about substance use Improved psychological well being

Did You Know?

87% 87% of youth mentees that participated in Campus Corps reported improvement in academics, including:  Improved attendance  Improved grades  Greater understanding of schoolwork

“Everyone at Campus Corps is incredibly supportive. As a mentor you never feel alone or in a situation you can’t handle because help is always already on its way.” CSU student mentor

Did You Know?

As a result of participation in Campus Corps, CSU student mentors reported :      Improved leadership skills Improved ability to manage stress Increased self-awareness Expanded commitment to civic action Enriched interpersonal skills

“I was ready to drop out of college before joining Campus Corps and now, because of my time spent with the youth, I am excited about the possibility of pursuing an education degree.” -CSU student mentor “I changed a lot because I feel better about myself, I feel great about myself, and I feel like I am happy.” -youth mentee

“I loved having a chance to get close with my Mentor Family every week. We had inside jokes, played games, and were always there to support one another.” -CSU student mentor

Did You Know?

Campus Corps has received funding from the following:

         Bohemian Foundation Colorado State University CSU Dept of Human Development and Family Studies Department of Human Services Poudre School District Thompson School District Corporation for National and Community Service.

Private donors Contracts from referral agencies

Did You Know?

Campus Corps partners with:

     Food bank of Larimer County (dinner) Salvation Army (transportation for Loveland youth) Workforce Center of Larimer County (employment assistance) CSU Health and Exercise Science (sports equipment) Growing Project (CSU Food Science & Human Nutrition)

Did You Know?

Campus Corps is an award-winning program:

 2013 Outstanding Engagement Award, College of Health and Human Sciences, Colorado State University  2012 Exceptional Innovative Instruction in Service Learning, The Institute for Learning and Teaching, Colorado State University  2012 National Service Impact Challenge Finalist, Corporation for National and Community Service