Today’s kids are under a lot of pressure — and far too many are facing the challenges alone. An estimated 16 million American youth don’t have a strong relationship with an adult to help guide them through these difficult years.

But several organizations across the country are changing this narrative with one powerful tool: mentorship. Instead of treating kids as problems to fix, they empower them through deep relationships rooted in dignity, consistency, and care.

But what does true mentorship look like in practice? And how do you scale that to reach those in need?

These three organizations are blazing a trail. Their unique mentorship models are transforming lives — and proving how one relationship can change everything. 

National Angels: Doing life together

In Austin, Texas, National Angels is building a powerful network of mentors for one of the most underserved populations in the country — kids experiencing foster care.

“Our organization works to pair people to do life with each other,” said Susan Ramirez, founder of National Angels. “We believe that relationships help transform lives. Everyone can play a role and make a difference in a child’s life.”

National Angels is transforming the lives of kids like Abel, who was 15 when Child Protective Services removed him and his seven siblings from their home. With the support of his mentor Connor, Abel found stability — and the belief that he could do something no one in his family had done before: go to college.

“I really have seen him grow into himself, just really beautiful these past three years,” Connor said.

Today, Abel considers Connor one of his best friends. He’s moved out of his home and into a college dorm at a large university — a first for anyone in his family.

Friends of the Children: ‘Mentoring on steroids’

What happens when you equip kids with a mentor for over a decade? That’s the question Friends of the Children is answering — by providing unfailing, long-term mentorships for kids in need.

“Friends of the Children is mentoring on steroids, really,” said Terri Sorensen, national CEO for Friends of the Children. “We’re coming in early — age 4 to 6 — and providing that consistent, caring adult for 12-plus years, no matter what. There’s a lot of intentionality that is helping the child overcome the obstacles that have been identified in their individual lives.”

Jimmy is one example of the organization’s impact. He grew up surrounded by addiction, mental illness, and a generational cycle of incarceration. Every generation of men in his family had gone to prison. Jimmy was determined to break that cycle, and with the help of a long-term mentor through Friends of Children, he did.

His mentor, John, became a bridge for Jimmy between home, school, and his dreams.

“The real miracle with John is that there was no judgment, and that he could see my world and not be afraid of it,” Jimmy said.

John empowered Jimmy to overcome barriers so that one day he could live a life of meaning and purpose. He encouraged him to build his resume and find internships. With John’s constant support and guidance, Jimmy began a career at a high-end legal firm, breaking his family’s cycle and avoiding prison. Now, Jimmy advocates for people going through what he survived as he paves a prominent career in the Oregon County court system.

“Without this program, I would be in jail,” Jimmy said. “I would be addicted to drugs. And now,  my kids will never have to experience that.”

Thread: An entire family of mentors

Programs like Friends of the Children prove it takes just one person stepping up over a decade to change a kid’s life. But one organization in Baltimore is taking a different approach — by providing kids with an entire family of mentors.

Sarah Hemminger started Thread over 20 years ago with a mission to connect underserved youth with a group of diverse mentors — giving them unique connections to communities across the city. “Thread families” connect up to four adults with a youth, usually around age 15. They stick together for 10 years.

Thread family members do more than just offer advice. They do life together.

When Alexa and Saba first met Donyae, he literally ran away from them. But they kept showing up. Over time, they built trust — offering rides, meals, and safe spaces to study. When Donyae’s grades put his graduation at risk, his Thread family brought in his coach, his counselor, and anyone else who could help. He graduated with them cheering from the stands.

And while it certainly was a life-changing relationship for Donyae, the impact goes both ways.

“That was an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life,” Alexa said. “What I’m going to gain from this experience and what Donyae has taught me — and will teach me — will probably be one of the most influential and transformative experiences in my life.”

These models prove that real change doesn’t start with systems. It starts with people — one caring adult at a time. And when that happens, kids don’t just survive, they thrive, and they lift others with them. They’re building a healthy social fabric made up of a diverse group of people who deeply understand themselves and one another.

 “The only thing that really changes people’s minds and changes people’s hearts is knowing one another,” Alexa said. “It’s relationships.”

Thread, National Angels, and Friends of the Children are supported by Stand Together Foundation, which empowers individuals to reach their full potential through community-driven change.

Learn more about Stand Together's efforts to build strong and safe communities and explore ways you can partner with us.