Campus Connections is a 12-week program held one evening per week from 4:00pm to 8:00pm at UCCS in Columbine Hall. Campus Connections offers one-on-one mentoring for community youth, typically referred from the juvenile justice system, schools, and other youth service providers.

Each week youth have the opportunity to get assistance with schoolwork, explore the campus, have a family dinner, build healthy relationships, practice pro-social behavioral skills, and participate in enriching activities.

One-on-One Support

Each youth who participates in Campus Connections is paired with a current UCCS student mentor who works closely with graduate students and faculty members. Mentors work closely with youth to provide exposure to the college life and the vast opportunities college provides with weekly walks around campus.

Safe and Supportive Environment

Campus Connections is committed to providing a positive, safe, and comfortable place to develop meaningful relationships and encourage pro-social behavior. Campus Connections is grounded in evidence-based practices for youth mentoring.

Focus on the Future

Campus Connections focuses on individualized academic and career support to establish future goals and help youth work towards achieving those goals. Because Campus Connections is located entirely on a college campus, youth experience firsthand the possibilities of education and the importance of learning.

Once a youth has been referred to Campus Connections, they will be added to a call list. Simply being referred does not guarantee a spot in the program for that semester. Depending on space, a Campus Connections staff member will contact you to set up an intake appointment. If the youth is very interested in the program- contact us via email at cconnect@uccs.edu! Contacting us helps us gauge interest!

Intake appointments take place at UCCS in Columbine Hall and are approximately 60-90 minutes long. The initial appointment is set up to provide you with the necessary information you need to know about participating in Campus Connections and what you can expect from the program.

During this initial appointment, we will speak to you about your interests and goals. Campus Connections staff will answer any questions you may have. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Campus Connections is committed to providing a positive, engaging, safe and comfortable place to develop meaningful relationships and to have a good time. In order to help make Campus Connections a success for everyone, we expect our mentees to attend every session for 12 weeks. 

General Expectations

• Youth arrive at UCCS between 4:00pm and 4:30pm on Thursday nights and will leave campus around 8:00pm. Either they are dropped off by their parent or they take the UCCS van.
• Depending on interest per school, there may be the option for the youth to utilize the UCCS van to and from campus. 
• Bring warm clothes and comfortable shoes for walking (we’ll be going outside).

Specific Youth Expectations

In order to create and maintain a safe and positive environment the following are some behavioral expectations of our mentees:

• Stay within arm’s length of your mentor at all times
• Behave respectfully (no fighting, no yelling, no cussing, no outbursts)
• Keep yourself and others safe
• No smoking, drinking, or drugs (including paraphernalia) prior to or during Campus Connections
• Dress appropriately (follow your school’s dress code)
• Express feelings appropriately and engage in appropriate conversation (no bullying, no name-calling or slurs, no negativity)
• Follow mentor and all other Campus Connections staff instructions the first time
• Keep hands to yourself
• Only enrolled youth are allowed at Campus Connections
• No use of cell phones, iPods, or other electronic devices during Campus Connections, except in the case of an emergency
• Bring schoolwork or GED prep assignments each night
• No contact with mentors outside of Campus Connections until the end of the 12-week program

CACFP

Campus Connections is reimbursed for youth snacks and meals through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) by the state of Colorado. Students must take the snack when they arrive at Campus Connections. They must also eat 3 out of 5 meals components available at the dining hall: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, protein/protein subtitute (cheese, tofu, etc), and dairy. Campus Connections staff checks that youth take the appropriate number of meal components at dinner to maintain compliance with the program. 

Arrival/Check-in

We ask that you arrive between 4:00pm and 4:30pm to greet mentors, pick up your snack, sign in and get ready for the evening. For the success of our program, it is important that all youth arrive on time

Walk & Talk

Walk & Talk is an activity set up for Mentor Families (groups of four mentor/mentee pairs) to walk around together and familiarize themselves with the college campus. Mentor Families take walks to different parts of UCCS’s campus each week that are meant to familiarize youth with the campus and everything UCCS has to offer.

Once arriving at the destination there are several questions for youth to answer while learning about the opportunities college has to offer. This time is also important for mentors to catch up with their youth about the past week’s events.

Supporting School Success

Supporting School Success provides individualized tutoring for youth with their mentor. Youth are expected to bring homework or GED prep material every night to work on. If youth have no homework, they can work on study skills, goal-setting, career planning, college planning, time management, and how to access education or career resources.

Dinner

Dinner is provided through partnerships with UCCS catering, the Family Development Center, Roaring Fork dining hall and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and is served every week free-of-charge for the youth.

Pro-Social Activities

The remainder of the evening is broken into two- three blocks where mentors and mentees engage in a variety of pro-social activities designed to create community and have fun. These community activities work on developing niches, hobbies, competencies, personal growth and gaining confidence in a skill. A wide-range of activities are offered; including art projects, creative writing, social justice activities, guest speakers and more.

Pick-up

Campus Connections ends at 8:00pm each week so please plan on being on-campus by then to pick up your youth or have another arrangement for them to get home.

Youth who take the UCCS van are transported back to the school they were picked up from between 8:15pm-8:30pm. Please plan to meet the van in the parking lot of the school.

What is Campus Connections?

Campus Connections is a 12-week program held one evening per week from 4:00pm to 8:00pm at UCCS in Columbine Hall. Campus Connections offers one-on-one mentoring for community youth, typically referred from the juvenile justice system, schools, and other youth service providers.

Who is eligible for Campus Connections?

Campus Connections is for youth in middle school who reside in El Paso County and would benefit from working one-on-one with a UCCS student mentor. To see if a youth is eligible, please contact Campus Connections at cconnect@uccs.edu or 719-255-3891.

How do I get my child into Campus Connections?

Currently, we are accepting referrals from District 11 middle schools. Contact your youth's school counselor about submitting a referral for them. You can also contact us at cconnect@uccs.edu for more information. 

Who are the Campus Connections mentors?

Campus Connections mentors are UCCS undergraduate and graduate students who are trained mentors for youth. We currently accept mentor applicants from all undergraduate programs. 

What are the expectations for youth at Campus Connections?

Please view our Campus Connections Youth Expectations.

Where does Campus Connections take place?

Campus Connections takes place at UCCS in Columbine Hall or the Osborne Center's Daniels Fund K12 Space.

What do I do if my youth cannot make it to Campus Connections?

If your child is unable to make it one night, please call or have them call the Campus Connections office at 719-255-3891 to be excused. Please be sure to communicate the reason why they are absent because it will be included in their progress report for that night.

Youth who are interested in after-school sports that run on Thursdays such as volleyball, basketball, wrestling, etc., should not participate in Campus Connections. Attendance is very important as the youth's mentor is there each week for a grade and to gain experience. 

What is the Campus Connections nightly schedule?

Please view Campus Connections Youth Nightly Schedule.

What are the outcomes of participating in Campus Connections?

At UCCS, we are just beginning our Campus Connections program and plan on evaluating our outcomes to better understand the effects of the program as we grow. Since its implementation in 2008, Colorado State University (CSU) has been researching the outcomes of its Campus Connections program.

Initial results indicate positive outcomes for participants involved in Campus Connections. We are hoping our data reflects the success of their program.