Education

UpLift President Mike Painter (far left) and Mayor Hickenlooper (far right) with the UpLift student winners of the Metropolitan Mayors’ and Commissioners’ Youth Award.

For those of you unfamiliar with Colorado UpLift, we are a character education/mentoring program working with over 3,000 young people in 18 urban schools in Denver, Colorado.

Founded in 1982, Colorado UpLift began with a vision of placing minority youth in summer jobs. Its mission has expanded and now focuses on "building long-term, life-changing relationships with urban youth." Offering a holistic solution to the needs of inner-city young people, UpLift offers hope in five program areas: (1) In School, teaching seven character qualities and six life skills, (2) After School - mentoring, (3) Adventure-growth through challenge, (4) College-personal advancement, and (5) Life Options- independent living.

The success of Colorado UpLift over the years can be directly attributed to a team of 33 full-time, primarily ethnic staff, who are available to kids as mentors and life coaches 24 hours a day, seven days a week over multiple years – building relationships of trust with kids who lack trustworthy relations.

UpLift begins the process of reaching students in elementary school and continues to develop relationships with them up to their young adult years. We employ a "pipeline" strategy, targeting elementary schools that feed into selected middle schools, which then feed into selected high schools. This pipeline system allows us continual opportunities for interaction with students throughout their entire school career.

Why are these stable relationships so important? The at-risk students we work with in our community face incredible relational needs. Cycles of hopelessness, violence, gangs, drugs, fragmented family structures, negative peer relationships and academic underachievement are constants among disadvantaged families. Ultimately, it cripples the youth in those families who then continue the cycle, passing these negative behaviors on to their children.

For instance, teenagers who drop out of school are more likely to depend on public assistance, have chronic health problems and engage in criminal behavior. It has been estimated every dropout costs the State of Colorado over $2 million over the lifetime of that individual through economic loss, welfare and/or incarceration costs. Since Colorado ranks 48^th worst in high school dropouts between 16 and 19 years old, you can see the cost on our economy is staggering.

Over the years, society has focused on activities and programs as primary solutions to the problems facing urban youth. While many of these programs have their place, the root problem facing inner-city young people is not structural in nature, but relational. As Dr. Del Elliott, professor at the Center for Behavioral Sciences at the University of Colorado stated, "In order to have a statistically meaningful chance at a productive life, a child must have a least one adult relationship which is positive, caring and long-term." Colorado UpLift staff members become that one adult relationship that gives students the support they need to move in a positive direction.

During school, our UpLift teacher/mentors educate students on character development, life skills, career preparation and leadership. After school time is spent mentoring and transporting kids to activities and events they might not otherwise attend (sporting events and activities, summer camps, college orientations, job interviews, trade schools, etc.). Our staff are always a phone call away, available round-the-clock for a kid in need. Overall, we are committed to journey with our students from the time we meet them in 4^th grade to the time they emerge as positive, productive adults. Bottom line, we never give up on our kids.

Colorado UpLift has created a proven formula for addressing the needs of the inner-city student. We graduate 90% of our seniors who have been in the program three years or longer and 95% of them pursue post-secondary learning through college, the military or a career. In 2006, the Denver Metropolitan Mayors' and Commissioners' Youth Award was given to 20 students, of which 11 were Colorado UpLift students. The award is designated for special Denver youth who have overcome obstacles such as personal tragedies, poor grades, delinquencies and in some cases, abusive homes. We were proud to see so many UpLift students recognized for their personal achievements.

This year, 2007, is UpLift's 25^th silver anniversary. We are proud to say we have significantly impacted the lives of over 30,000 kids in Denver's inner city. Our community continues to thrive as these at-risk young people prove there is hope for their future and character really does matter.

Mike Painter is the President and CEO of Colorado UpLift, a 25-year-old non-profit organization in Denver working with urban youth. Mike spent over 20 years in youth leadership and development on a local and national level before assuming the role of President for Colorado UpLift in 2006. He currently lives in Boulder with his family and holds a B.S. from the University of Missouri.