Become a Mentor: Teach One to Lead One - Whatcom County

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Teach One to Lead One (T1L1) is a community mentorship program that teaches universal principles to lead at-risk kids into a life of purpose and potential. The T1L1 program in Whatcom County is dedicated to transforming at-risk kids into responsible citizens by building in them character based on practical leadership skills and universal principles.

The T1L1 Primo program was designed for elementary school students. It is a powerful character and leadership program that will transform a particular classroom and school. Teachers, parents, and other adults who surround the students see positive changes in behavior, increased interest in school, and a renewed desire to help others. Parents participate in the T1L1 Primo program via assignments that are given to their children at the end of each session. The assignments consist of conversations outlined in hand-outs. T1L1 mentors follow with the students each week to hear how the conversations with their parents flowed and ask about other ideas that may have come to light.

The T1L1 Anew program is focused on middle and high school students. Anew brings to life universal ethical principles and their application to everyday pre-teen and teen life. Students engage in weekly guided experiences where they gain knowledge about universal principles, develop emotional commitment to live by them, and act on what they have learned and practiced in their sessions. T1L1 mentors guide discussions after pre-selected video clips, organize games to highlight the principle of the day, facilitate large group discussions, organize role-playing activities, debrief with student small groups, highlight application of the principles via storytelling, and much more. Educators see improvement in academics, attendance and attitude. The program also includes having the students organize and carry-out an in-service learning project. This project encourages the students to put into practice what they have been learning by going out into the community or serving in a significant capacity at their school.

T1L1 also provides support to minors who have been accused of violating a criminal statute, through our Juvenile Court program. T1L1 for Juvenile Court is designed to meet the juvenile offenders where they are and guide them to a new way of thinking. Through weekly activities and discussions, the mentoring team instructs the teens on how to look at their situation from a different perspective and begin to apply principles that will transform their lives for the better. The Juvenile Court program is commonly presented to juvenile probationers in tandem with T1L1 sessions for their parents. The T1L1 Parenting program is "one of a kind" and has received great reviews from participants as well as juvenile court officials.

The Teach One to Lead One program recruits, trains and certifies mentors from the community to work with at-risk kids in the public schools and juvenile court systems.

Mentors are assigned to mentoring teams and receive step by step instructions on how to mentor for a specific group of students. Schools typically will give one class period per week to the mentoring team to come and deliver the T1L1 curriculum.


Seeking Female Volunteers: Yes

Seeking Male Volunteers: Yes

Minimum Match Commitment (in months): 7 months

Type of Mentoring: Group

Youth Population Served: Academically At-Risk, Adjudicated/court involved, Foster, Residential or Kinship Care, General Youth Population, Low Income, Physical Disabilities/Special Care Needs, Youth with Disabilities

Mentoring Program Goals: Healthy Behaviors

Ages of Youth Served: 8-10, 11-14, 15-18