Youth Mentoring Program

iCare Foundation is building a structured Youth Mentoring Program to pair young people across Greater Tampa Bay with caring, trained adult mentors. This is not informal check-ins — it is a consistent, relationship-based model proven by decades of research to improve school attendance, reduce risky behavior, and open doors to education and career opportunities young people would not otherwise have.

In Hillsborough County, economically disadvantaged students graduate at nearly 10 points below the state average for their non-disadvantaged peers. The gap is not ability — it is access to the consistent adult presence and guidance that many middle- and upper-income students take for granted. Our mentoring program closes that gap.

Research from MENTOR.org is clear: young people with a consistent mentor are significantly more likely to stay in school, go to college, and build productive lives. But access to mentorship is not equal. In affluent communities, adult guidance comes naturally — through networks, families, and schools. In under-resourced communities, that guidance is often absent.

In Greater Tampa Bay, 32% of students ended the 2023–24 school year behind grade level. Youth violence, school disengagement, and generational poverty are not inevitable — but they become more likely when young people navigate adolescence without a trusted adult who believes in them. Our mentoring program is designed to be that presence.