How long does it take to help steer the life of a teen in a positive direction? One day? One month?

According to specialists in Boulder County's Community Justice Services Division, teens who have had repeated encounters with the justice system need - at the very minimum - at least one year of positive guidance. One of the most important factors in teens' successful transition, program leaders say, is a stable, long-term, positive relationship with an adult.

"Many of these kids come from difficult home environments. Some of them have never had a steady, positive adult presence in their lives. Others have suffered traumas. Oftentimes, they turn to the only relationship available to them: their peers, who may exert a negative influence," said Anne Brubacher, coordinator of the Boulder Enhanced Supervision Team (B.E.S.T.) mentoring program. The B.E.S.T. mentoring program matches adults with teens who are involved in the Boulder County courts system.

"These teens really need to form relationships where they can trust adults and learn from role models how to make positive decisions," Brubacher said.

Brubacher is in the midst of a recruitment drive for both male and female mentors for the program. Boulder County is offering an informational session on Sept. 19 in Longmont for people to learn about the program and whether they'd like to volunteer.

Recruiting committed volunteers is a tough job: the program requires that volunteers meet with a teen for about 3 hours, once a week for at least a year. For busy, overbooked residents in Boulder County, a year seems like a long commitment. But any less time, Brubacher says, and the cycle of adult abandonment is reinforced for many of the teens.

"We realize that it's a big commitment, and we've structured the program so that, in reality, mentoring a teen once a week really isn't a major time sacrifice," Brubacher explained. Mentors are encouraged to spend time with their mentees doing the things they already love to do - whether that's going to a ball game, watching movies, eating out or making artwork. Current mentor pairs have done pottery painting, horseback riding, dance classes, movies and more.

And statistics show that people may be less busy than they perceive: According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 28 hours of television per week - or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year. Even if Boulder County residents watch half as much TV as the rest of the nation, that leaves 14 hours from which a 3-hour slice doesn't seem so significant.

"Volunteering provides one of the highest levels of satisfaction payback per hour of any activity. You're building relationships, you're having fun, and you're not only helping an individual - you're helping your community," said Janice Allan, volunteer coordinator for the Boulder County Justice System Volunteer Program. "When you help a teen build positive decision-making skills, it has a ripple effect into your community."

To find out more about the program and whether you would like to make a difference, come to the informational session at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 19, at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center, 400 Quail Rd., Longmont. Light refreshments will be served. You can sign up or find out more by calling 303-441-3718.

In October 2006, Boulder County received a 9-month, one-time grant from Tony Grampsas Youth Services to pilot a girls' mentoring program. The B.E.S.T. Program hired a half-time program coordinator and trained 12 mentors, of whom 10 are currently matched with girls involved in the juvenile justice system.

Group activities are also scheduled monthly where all mentors, their paired girls and the Mentor Coordinator participate in group activities like self defense classes, pottery, horseback riding and ropes courses.

In July 2007, program organizers decided to expand the mentoring program to be open to both boys and girls, with a goal of matching 20 mentor pairs per year.

Initial results of the girls' program show that many of the teens enjoy and value their relationship with their mentors.

• --One mentee said that she "felt stronger emotionally" as a result of participating in the program.
• --For several mentoring pairs, the mentees would specifically request to meet with their mentors for support during times of crisis. One teen, upon leaving a difficult court appearance, requested to see her mentor as soon as possible.
• --One mentor attended a placement hearing to provide support and encouragement for the teen during the meeting.

For more information or to volunteer, contact the Justice Services Volunteer Coordinator at 303-441-3718 or jallan@bouldercounty.org.