My Nonprofit Reviews

In November 2024 I will be with Northwest Family Services for one year, one thing I can confidently say is this work has exceeded my expectations. My position is a Youth Peer Mentor, which consists of meeting youth where they are in their journey, helping them develop healthy relationships, and expand their knowledge in multiple areas including coping skills, mental health, and substance use. One of my highlights from this year was working with a youth to get her permit. We were working towards this goal for several months. We tried multiple study strategies from taking practice tests, to flash cards, to designating 5-10 Minutes of reading the manual daily. After several attempts of taking the test, I could see the youth getting discouraged failing each time. So, we shifted our plan of action and dedicated a good two weeks of studying the manual, setting a date, and prepping day and night. As we stepped foot into the DMV nerves were high. The youth had gone back to take the test, and about 20 minutes had passed she turns the corner with the biggest smile on her face. In this moment I knew all of her hard work and dedication had paid off. The feeling of helping a youth not only pass her permit but guide her to see her worth was one of my favorite moments of all time. This is why this work is so amazing, and more importantly that Northwest Family Services was able to make all this happen for youth across Clackamas County.