Event Summary
Come take a tour of Campus Connections with one of the program’s founders and organizers, Jen Krafchick. You’ll get the chance to ask questions about how the program was designed and how it works in practice, while picking up ideas you can adapt to your own work. After the tour, we’ll gather for dinner and discussion – a great chance to reflect, share ideas, and brainstorm with others. Space is limited to 10 participants.
Faculty from any discipline will find this valuable as a chance to explore program structures like feedback mechanisms, peer support, data gathering, and assessment strategies for understanding both student learning and the experiences of program participants and their families – approaches that enhance community engagement work in any field.
About Campus Connections
Campus Connections is a nationally recognized Therapeutic Youth Mentoring program housed in the department of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University. Established in 2009 in response to a community request for more services for youth facing challenges, the program is both a high-impact service-learning course (3 credits) for CSU students and a therapeutic mentoring program serving local youth.
What makes Campus Connections unique is its innovative structure: mentor”“mentee pairs are grouped into “mentor families” of four pairs, creating small communities where youth can build strong relationships with peers and mentors. Youth participants spend time on CSU’s campus, receive academic support, share meals, engage in pro-social activities, and have access to integrated mental health services.
Referred by schools, human service agencies, and the juvenile justice system, youth who join Campus Connections benefit from a supportive environment that fosters resilience, personal growth, and a sense of belonging.
