Growing up isn’t easy and the past few years certainly haven’t been kind to young people trying to find their way. For better or worse, our world is rapidly evolving and times sure are different from when I was a kid. Now more than ever, I believe young people in this community need to be a part of something where they feel like they belong. I believe that our youth need opportunities to challenge themselves and unearth their true potential. And I believe kids and teens need mentorship as they navigate their way through this world.

For over 16 years, the youth development nonprofit, SOS Outreach, has been a constant for local youth; and this past season I was fortunate enough to join this organization as it further invested in our Steamboat community. This year, we launched the mentor program in Steamboat. Now in addition to providing mountain access for youth, we are pairing kids and teens with adult mentors and offering up to 10 years of continued program engagement.

Thanks to local partners like Town Hall, Alpine Bank, Big Agnes, the Craig Scheckman Family Foundation, Yampa Valley Community Foundation, Share Winter Foundation, Moniker Foundation and Steamboat Resort, we’re able to engage 150 youth from Routt and Moffat counties. SOS programs get kids out on the mountain who wouldn’t have access otherwise, but we do so much more than that. Through the mentor program, we provide off-hill engagement opportunities for youth and their mentors to participate in workshops and service days in the community. The result is youth feeling a deepened sense of belonging, leadership, and confidence.

Through the trials and tribulations of the last few years, I am grateful that SOS has been here to support our local youth. And even more so, I’m hopeful for the impacts that will be made through the addition of the mentor program. Young people need a constant in their lives, and I’m glad to be working with an organization that is filling this role.

Dave Schramm
Steamboat Springs