When Lindsey Kohler first arrived in Routt County in 2009 for a one-year AmeriCorps term, she never imagined she’d still be here more than a decade later, let alone leading the very organization that brought her to the Yampa Valley in the first place.

“I came here to be a school-based mentor through the AmeriCorps program, thought I’d be here for a year, met my husband and did not leave,” said Kohler, who is now the executive director of Partners for Youth. “And now here we are, three kids later.”

That spirit of connection and commitment to place is central to the work of Partners for Youth, a nonprofit serving youth across both Routt and Moffat counties through one-on-one mentoring, empowerment through youth-led initiatives.

The organization’s mission is to build resilience and hope for youth through intentional relationships and targeted programming with a vision of a community where all young people feel supported and connected.

Kohler’s path from AmeriCorps mentor to executive director mirrors the arc of the organization itself. Formerly known as Partners in Routt County, the nonprofit merged in 2022 with Grand Futures Prevention Coalition to expand both its reach and programming.

The result was what is now known as Partners for Youth.

“For 25 years, we provided high-quality one-on-one mentoring services in the school and community settings,” Kohler said. “And that was only in Routt County.”

The merger with Grand Futures sparked the development of the group’s empowerment work, including the formation of youth action councils, and opened the door to an expansion into Moffat County.

“We were fortunate to have a really wonderful coordinator in Craig, Mackenzie Mixon, who has just done phenomenal work in recruiting youth to join the Moffat County Youth Council and has collaborated with other entities in Craig to put on a number of free, safe events for youth in the community throughout the year,” Kohler said.

Mixon recently won the Changemaker award during the State of the Community celebration on Feb. 26 for her work expanding student opportunities through her work with Partners for Youth. 

As community connections deepened, so did the possibilities. Input from youth and local partners made it clear that a school-based mentoring model would be the best fit for Craig. That feedback guided the launch of the school-based mentoring program at Craig Middle School during the 2022-23 school year.

“The district has been really fantastic to work with,” Kohler said. “That brought us to where we are now, which is continuing to provide high-quality one-on-one mentoring services in school and community settings, both in Routt and Moffat counties.”

At the heart of this mentor-based work is a deep commitment to listening and empathetic understanding.

“What we hear regularly through our work with other nonprofits, community agencies, school districts and youth themselves is that mental health is an ongoing concern,” Kohler said. “That’s what we’re hearing from youth across the Yampa Valley.”

In both counties, youth have shared that mental health struggles often underlie issues like substance abuse, isolation and a lack of community connection. In Moffat County specifically, the need for safe, substance-free events has shaped the direction of local programming.

“Youth are telling us that a safe space is needed and that free, affordable things to do are something that they feel like is lacking in Moffat County,” Kohler said. “So they’ve taken it upon themselves to add those opportunities to the community.”

Partners for Youth is not working alone. Kohler emphasized that the organization’s success is made possible by a network of school districts, youth-serving agencies, businesses and individual donors.

“School staff, school counselors, social workers, administrators—they have been instrumental in our ability to implement all of our programs over the years and in our ability to grow them,” she said.

In Craig, that network includes the Boys & Girls Club, Bear River Young Life and Moffat County Communities That Care — a youth wellness coalition that has been a key ally in mentoring and youth council efforts.

“There’s a number of businesses in Craig that have gone out of their way to provide free or discounted services to youth,” Kohler said. “We’ve worked closely with the movie theater, the ice rink, the bowling alley, and a ton more.”

Looking ahead, Partners for Youth plans to continue expanding in an intentional and sustainable manner. Near-term goals include adding another school-based mentor to Moffat County, in collaboration with local schools and Communities That Care, as well as continuing to grow the Youth Action Councils in Craig, Hayden and possibly Oak Creek. 

The group is also piloting a peer mentoring program at Sleeping Giant School in Steamboat Springs.

“Our programs, our empowerment programs, are truly youth-led and amplify youth voices in a way that is unique,” Kohler said.

And at the center of it all, mentorship remains the most powerful tool in the toolbox.

“Everyone can think about a time in their lives where having somebody to rely on, to trust, to provide support in whatever way was needed made an impact on them,” Kohler said. “There’s just research on research out there that tells you about how important it is for a young person to have a trusted adult in their lives.”

Those relationships don’t fix every problem, she added, but they do build belonging and connection, and that’s where change starts.

“To be connected to another person in our community is a powerful thing,” Kohler said. “And we learn from young people all the time through that relationship.”

For more information or to get involved, visit PartnersYouth.org.