About Mobius

History of Mobius, Inc.

In the Fall of 2000 The Permanent Fund for the Well-Being of Vermont Children took notice of the high school drop-out rate and the rate of heroin use among young people in Burlington and Winooski, and decided to try to address the problems. Members of the Fund met with community leaders to gain insight on how best to improve outcomes for Chittenden County’s youth.

The common theme from these discussions was that at-risk children in our community lack positive relationships with caring adults, something young people need in order to thrive. The Permanent Fund looked to local mentoring programs, who already had long waiting lists of children in need of mentors, and challenged the programs to come up with a plan.  After extensive study, a plan was developed, calling for the creation of a new non-profit. “Mobius, the Mentoring Movement” was formed.

Mobius Today

Today Mobius works with fourteen mentoring programs in Chittenden County.  It recruits and trains new mentors, and offers an ongoing mentor support series.  Throughout the year Mobius organizes special mentor/mentee events like Science Night at the Echo Lake Aquarium/Leahy Science Center and Mentoring Night at a Lake Monsters game.  Mobius also works to secure funding for mentoring programs.

Mobius partners with a myriad of community organizations and businesses, which help with public awareness, recruitment, and fundraising.  These partnerships are integral to the mission of Mobius, to create a culture of mentoring in our community.

The Strategy

Supporting Mentoring in our Community

Mobius serves a unique role supporting both existing and new mentoring programs. Mobius is committed to:

• Recruitment of mentors
• Training new mentors and offering continuing training for current mentors
• Program quality assurance and support
• Public awareness and community relations
• Resource development
• Sustainability and collaboration
• New program development

The Need

Consider the protective factor of mentoring against the harsh realities facing Vermont youth.

• 15% of 9th graders will not graduate from high school.
• About 20% of high school students rode in a car driven by someone who had been drinking in the past 30 days.
• 33% of 12th graders binge drank in the past month.
• 22% of 8th-12th grade students have been offered, sold, or given illegal drugs on school grounds in the past year.
• 25% of high school students were in a fight in the past 12 months.2005 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey and 2004 Vermont Department of Education

Conversely, consider the positive impact mentoring has on young people.

Research shows young people with mentors are:

• More likely to stay in school, aspire to achieve better grades, go on to college, and become more trusting and communicative
• Less likely to smoke, carry a weapon, or engage in violent acts
• 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
• 27% less likely to begin drinking alcohol
• 52% less likely to skip school

(Research cited includes: Sharon, Beier, Rosenfeld, Spitalny, Zansky and Bontempo, M.D.s, 1999, and Public Private Ventures, 1995; The Search Institute; Child Trends; Growing Up Poor by Terry Williams and William Kornblum; Carnegie Council on Adolescent; Stand by Me by Dr. Jean Rhodes; Fortune Magazine.)

The Benefits

Mentoring Benefits All of Us!

• Mentoring Benefits Young People
• Mentoring Benefits Parents
• Mentoring Benefits Schools
• Mentoring Benefits the Community
• Mentoring Benefits the Mentor
• Mentoring Benefits Employers

Businesses That Sponsor Mentoring Programs Find:

• Mentoring promotes higher employee productivity and morale.
• Mentoring enhances an organization’s image in the community.
• Mentoring attracts a high quality of employee.  Potential candidates view the organization positively because of its community involvement.
• Mentoring informs the organization through a broader view of the community. Local problems and priorities are better understood so that more effective business decisions can be made.
• Mentoring promotes the organization’s strategic objectives.