• About Us

Values Statement:
We are committed to provide services of compassion filled with love that are of the highest quality and bring accountability and empowerment to our children, families, and communities.

Life Long Mentoring is a community based organization dedicated to the prevention of criminal activity, mental health behavioral programming and reclamation of youth who are likely or are already involved in criminal activities. LLMS works with youth and families in the Twin Cities metropolitan area who are either at risk or currently involved with the juvenile criminal justice system, schools, and community. Its offices are located in a multi-service center in the heart of Minneapolis' Southside African American community.

While much of its work involves youth in the inner-city disadvantaged neighborhoods, it is beginning to work also in the surrounding inner-ring suburban communities with growing minority populations. The juveniles that come to, or are referred to LLMS are mostly at the deep end of involvement with the juvenile justice system and are high in risk factors in their lives. The youth vary between 7 and 19 years old. Most come from single-parent households; many have not had the stable presence of positive adults in their families.

While LLMS has worked primarily with juveniles in the past, it is qualified to provide
services to address mental health issues and parenting adults. A central philosophy of LLMS has always to work with young people in partnership with the parenting adult — in terms of definition of the problem, types of interventions and services needed, monitoring progress, and case termination. In addition, LLMS often finds that it must work with the parent on their own issues in order for their interventions with the youth to be effective. Hence, they often work with parents on parenting issues, mental health service access, life skills training, employment and education, and referrals to other mental health or community services.

Referrals for its juvenile programs come from the juvenile court system, the juvenile detention center, other community organizations and leaders, public schools, and parents.

Building upon strong connections to African American organizations and families, the leader of LLMS has a reputation for working with young people. As a result, some mothers directly contact LLMS about working with their children. As of 2003, LLMS has new working relationships with and receives mentoring referrals from the Ramsey County Human Services, Ramsey County Children's Mental Health Collaborative, Ramsey-Children's Hospital,  School District # 287, Dakota County Social Services,  Ramsey County Child Protection, Ramsey County Drug Court, Hennepin County Juvenile Justice Center, CADI Waivered Services- Ramsey County, and Spring Lake
Park High School.