About Mobius, Inc.

In the Fall of 2000, The Permanent Fund for the Well-Being of Vermont Children, a Vermont Foundation, took notice of the high school drop-out rates and heroin use rates for the youngest age group in both Burlington and Winooski. Members of the Fund and others then met with community leaders including Burlington's Mayor, the Director of the United Way of Chittenden County, school superintendents and principals, police officers and judges, and directors of youth development programs and substance abuse programs. The purpose of this intensive effort was to gain insight on how best to improve outcomes for Chittenden County's youth.

The common theme from these discussions, which was supported by a then recently completed United Way survey of Chittenden County youth, was that our community's children lacked positive relationships with caring adults- a key asset our young people need in order to thrive.

The Permanent Fund, recognizing that there were long waiting lists at mentoring programs for children seeking adult mentors, then challenged the mentoring programs to come up with a plan.

Mentoring program coordinators had been consulting with each other and formed the Chittenden County Mentoring Network. This Network asked the United Way of Chittenden County and the Champlain Initiative for help in developing a strategic plan for recruiting adult mentors and attracting the funds needed to expand the capacity for quality mentoring relationships. In response, the Champlain Initiative formed a task force to determine how best to promote mentoring in our county.

After extensive study, the plan that the task force developed called for the creation of a new non-profit. "Mobius, the Mentoring Movement" was formed. Around the same time, participants enrolled in the Leadership Champlain Program formed a study group to explore ways to strengthen recruitment efforts. Mobius was established as the result of comprehensive community planning.

We value the contributions of individuals associated with these community organizations and will continue to work in partnership with them.

Our Strategy

Supporting a Range of Initiatives

With the needs and challenges identified and evaluated, Mobius formulated its strategy to fill an important void in Chittenden County. Our initiative's unique role is to support both existing and new mentoring programs. Rather than providing direct mentoring services, Mobius is committed to:

• Public awareness and community relations
• Recruitment of mentors
• Resource development
• Program quality assurance and support
• New program development
• Sustainability and collaboration

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.