Save Our Youth
“It is easier to build strong children, than to repair broken men.”
In the heart of the Sunnyside neighborhood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the well-being of youth in Denver. Save Our Youth was founded in response to the tumultuous "summer of violence" in Denver in 1993. It provides one-to-one mentorship to young people ages 10-17 as a pathway to help them overcome adverse experiences and learn to embrace hope. To cultivate the belief that they can have something better, and they have a role to play in making it better. With over three decades of faithful presence and practice, Save Our Youth has walked alongside thousands of youths, providing mentoring relationships that nurture spiritual, emotional, and economic hope.
Save Our Youth currently serves over 300 youth annually. Their goal for 2025 is 90 new mentoring matches (45 were already established by July), which reflects their commitment to growth. The culture of Save Our Youth is a nonprofit that is led from a place of abundance, not scarcity. Russel Dains, the Executive Director since 2019, has created a shared value of generosity among staff, donors, mentors, and youth. Under Russel’s leadership, the organization has built on its legacy while infusing new vitality into its mission.
Save Our Youth’s mentoring model is rooted in proximity. They have a relational and operational network to match mentors and mentees who live within 15 minutes of each other. It provides mentors another perspective on their own neighborhood. Through the relationship, both mentors and mentees experience their city differently, being together in places one or the other might have otherwise never entered. Mentors serve as guides for navigating life, from locating the local library to taking public transportation, filling out job applications, and applying for college scholarships.
One of the unique aspects of Save Our Youth is their choice to work only with youth that personally choose to participate. "It cannot be forced on them. It cannot be a parent decision. They have to choose it," explains Program Director, Maria Borrego. She shares about a mentee who began her journey with Save Our Youth feeling isolated and angry. But week after week, her mentor returned—not with quick fixes, but with steady faithfulness. “That young girl needed to know someone would come back,” Maria says. “And we did.”
The influence of having a faithful presence in the lives of youth manifests in tangible ways. Mentees develop confidence visible in their body language and decision-making abilities. "They hold conversations more confidently," shares Borrego. Most significantly, the mentor relationship builds trust—an invaluable commodity for youth facing challenging circumstances. A mentor is often the person in their lives whom they feel they can call when they don’t know what to do.
Transformation is not only an outcome for the youth, but also for the mentor. The experience transforms their perspective about younger generations and about the resilience required to overcome life obstacles. The initial invitation is for mentors to commit to 12 months. Beginning with one hour a week for the first 4 months and moving to a rhythm of quality time over quantity of time as the relational foundation is established. The support of Save Our Youth creates an environment for true friendships to be formed. It is incredibly inspiring that the average mentor relationship at Save Our Youth is 54 months.
Save Our Youth is a place of intentional mentoring relationships, bridging divides, and building hope. Save Our Youth is a sacred place.
Thank you to Maria Borrego for her conversation and contribution to this article. Thank you to Save Our Youth for leadership and legacy of mentoring in our city.
