Our Mission
Impacting generational change by empowering youth, who are facing the greatest obstacles, through relationships with professional mentors – 12+ years, no matter what.
Friends of the Children–Austin is part of a national network of Friends of the Children chapters across the United States. Friends of the Children connects children – all of whom have unique talents – to a paid, professional mentor called a Friend. We hire and train Friends whose full-time jobs are to support our youth to succeed, despite the extremely challenging situations most experience, from as early as age 4 through high school graduation – 12+ years, no matter what.
Our model is distinct, courageous and proven. We redefined youth mentoring by creating the first and only long-term professional mentoring program in the country. Friends are experts in building sustained and nurturing relationships with youth. Our model is evidence-informed and research-based, and we have proven long-term outcomes to show it works.
This is at the core of what we do. Each day, our Friends advocate and help amplify the voices of our youth and their families who often become voiceless in the midst of the systemic failures. By challenging the status quo, we also help shift the way institutions and systems view and treat our youth and their families. Friends also create meaningful experiences that teach youth to build life skills and make informed decisions, while exploring the child’s diverse talents and interests.
Our model is real, and it works.
Impacting generational change by empowering youth, who are facing the greatest obstacles, through relationships with professional mentors – 12+ years, no matter what.
At the core of Friends of the Children’s mission is our organizational value of putting children first—walking alongside youth who face some of life’s hardest challenges from kindergarten through high school, for 12+ years no matter what
Putting Children First as a key value for the organization means that the youth we serve are the primary focus of everything we do at Friends of the Children. We intentionally serve youth who are facing great obstacles. We listen to youth and base decisions on their needs and dreams, as they write their own stories of success. We foster a supportive, consistent relationship between each youth and professional mentor—a relationship that grows through high school, and into their adult lives.
We nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love and acceptance. Our practice is rooted in the wisdom of communities, tailoring support to honor each youth’s unique identity and shared heritage. We don’t give up easily and take a no matter what approach to our work. We intentionally develop collaborative relationships over time with trust, empathy and healthy communication. We build community through one-on-one connections that are authentic, respectful and meaningful.
We leverage personal strengths to take ownership of our futures. We build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities. We consistently inspire possibility through empathy, hard work and fun. We model all of this for our youth, families and each other.
We celebrate all achievements, big and small. We are disciplined in our commitment to goals, while innovative in how we reach them. We believe that the definition of success requires intentional reflection and adjustment over time. We work together and hold ourselves accountable with data to achieve short and long-term outcomes.
We believe everyone deserves the chance to reach their full potential, because where you start shouldn’t decide how far you go. We advocate to ensure every child, regardless of historical and present challenges, has the resources, support, and voice needed to thrive. We amplify and listen to the hopes and dreams of the children, families, and communities we serve. We harness different perspectives to overcome barriers and drive measurable change for every child. Together, we work to challenge and remove obstacles so potential isn’t limited by any circumstance.
Dear friends of Friends–Austin,
In 2017, this movement to bring a consistent and caring adult called a Friend, to the highest priority kindergarteners in our city was funded by just over 50 local individuals and families. Since then, as a result of your partnership, the Austin chapter of Friends of the Children has gone from a dream to a well-established reality.
In our inaugural year, we created our organizational infrastructure. We also built a diverse and extraordinarily qualified Board of Directors, along with three advisory boards – our Executive Advisory Board, Community Champions Board, and Community Leaders Council. We recruited, trained, and onboarded nine full-time staff members, including our four remarkable founding Friends.
Most importantly, we partnered with the Austin Independent School District to seek out and serve our community’s overlooked children. We now have nearly 100 youth enrolled in Friends–Austin! The challenges facing these children are extreme. Equally intense, though, is the enthusiasm and dedication of our staff who serve them. During their four hours together each week, Friends and their youth build academic, social-emotional, and life skills in intentional and creative ways. Our network-wide database is used on a daily basis and allows us to track not just inputs but also outcomes for the youth we serve.
We look forward to growing this program to reach every child who most needs us. Our Board underwent a strategic planning and scaling process detailing our plans for growth while not just maintaining but also continuing to build and improve our processes and programming.
Thank you for your belief in the revolutionary Friends of the Children model, and for your generosity in bringing it to Austin’s highest priority children. Together we absolutely can break the cycle of generational poverty in our city.
With Gratitude,
Rachel Arnold, Board Chair
Nancy Pollard, Executive Director
Friends of the Children was established in 1993 by entrepreneur Duncan Campbell and his wife, Cindy Campbell, in Portland, Ore. The Campbells purchased a school building in the same Northeast Portland neighborhood where Duncan experienced a challenging childhood. After finding business success, Duncan wanted to help kids who grew up in an environment like his. In 1992, the Campbell Institute for Children, conducted extensive research to determine the most effective program model to help young children overcome adversity and realize their inherent resilience and potential. The research clearly indicated that the strongest protective factor a child can have is a long-term, nurturing relationship with a consistent and caring adult.
Friends of the Children began with just three salaried, professional mentors called Friends and 24 children. Friends of the Children has grown to employ hundreds of Friends who serve thousands of children across the nation. You can view the full list of locations on our national website.