Caught between two of the Upper Peninsula’s population centers and caught between stages of life. Baraga County teens will soon have access to a new mentorship program. In 2023 the state passed legislation designed to support improved youth outcomes and strengthen public safety with the Justice for Kids and Communities Act. The legislation comes out of analysis of the juvenile justice system by a state task force. Baraga County Juvenile Case Worker Dawn Howe says that the county’s youth find themselves in a difficult location as resources from Houghton or Marquette are not always easy to access.
We know that mentorship always has a positive impact on our youth. Unfortunately here in Baraga County, we’re sort of in a resource vacuum. We may have a lot of resources, but they might be in Houghton, and not all of our families can drive there. And not all of those services make it here to Baraga County the way frankly they should or we would like them to, says Howe.
She adds a community-based approach to mentoring youth in the area starts with adults that care. Prevention Contractor Heather Tapani says teens often need a positive influence rather than someone trying to teach life lessons. Adding that there’s a balance that mentors strike when sharing their experiences and how those lessons shaped them.
A lot of them kind of lack that positive role model. So even if it’s just going and doing an activity or taking them along with something that they’re already doing, it’s not necessarily like tell me your life story and let’s fix it, says Tapani.
The Baraga County Youth Mentorship Program will conduct background checks for mentors. However Howe and Tapani add that old traffic tickets or mistakes at a young age does not define a person.
The thought this summer came about when I had a young man on my caseload, this is the second time he’s turned up on my caseload. And I was very surprised to see him back. One of the things that had occurred in his world between visits was that he had an excellent role model in his life that had moved away, says Howe. And this person was, a great mentor to him, and that person was now gone. And it seems to have had a huge impact on this young man. And that sparked the idea. And I thought, you know, the community-based idea is phenomenal, to be honest. The community should take some responsibility in helping our youth.
The Baraga County Youth Mentorship program will begin accepting mentor applications today. Those interested in becoming a mentor for youth in Baraga County or have questions should contact Dawn Howe or Heather Tapani. More information about the program, and how to apply as a mentor can be found here.
Email us at probatect@baragacounty.org, or stop by the Probate Office between 8:30 and 4:00 M-F for an application. Feel free to call the Juvenile Office at (906)524-9216 with any questions.
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