ABOUT THE CENTER
The Friends of the Children Duncan and Cindy Campbell National Center of Excellence for Professional Youth Mentoring is a national hub dedicated to advancing the field of professional youth mentoring.
Leveraging over 30 years’ experience as the nation’s only long-term, professional youth mentoring model in the country, the Center is dedicated to:
- Advancing the Field: Establishing standards that define the vocation of a professional youth mentoring through training, resources and the creation of a Certificate for Professional Youth Mentoring
- Thought Leadership: Creating in-person and virtual opportunities to amplify best practices and thought leadership in the field of professional youth mentoring and beyond
- Research and Impact: Bridging research and practice, partnering with researchers, practitioners, young people, and families to inform the field, policymakers and the Friends of the Children Network
- Innovation: Serving as the Friends of the Children hub for innovation, bringing together expertise, best practices and emerging ideas to accelerate outcomes and enable continuous improvement
AN ICONIC SPACE
The National Center of Excellence for Professional Youth Mentoring serves as both the national headquarters of Friends of the Children as well as the Albina Campus of Friends of the Children – Portland.
The newly renovated building is a special place, located in the historic Albina District not far from where our founder Duncan Campbell grew up. The state-of-the-art facility is a touchstone for the power and efficacy of professional youth mentoring.
True to our value of Putting Children First, the Center will serve as a demonstration site for the Friends of the Children model, with immersive training for mentors, experiential learning, and a vibrant partnership with our Portland chapter – all grounded in healing-centered, proven professional youth mentoring practices.
“The Center is a hub where research meets practice. It’s a home where we will deepen and broaden our impact for youth and families, allowing us to innovate, research, convene, and collaborate on the cutting-edge practices.”
– Terri Sorensen, National CEO, Friends of the Children