When kids do not have a mentor in their lives, studies show it leads to poor social-emotional development, difficulty overcoming life challenges and misbehavior.
The Buddy Program, a nonprofit based in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys, pairs students with older peers or adult community members to address these issues.
The nonprofit works to create meaningful relationships that promote positive social and emotional growth.
Jennifer Balmes is the marketing and communications manager at the Buddy Program.
She spoke with Aspen Public Radio’s Regan Mertz about the nonprofit’s expansion over the last 50 years.
The conversation below has been edited for clarity and length.
Regan Mertz: The Buddy Program started over 50 years ago in Aspen and has since expanded downvalley to Glenwood Springs and into Rifle.
So, could you talk to me a little bit about its founding and then its expansion downvalley?
Jennifer Balmes: The Buddy Program was founded in 1973 by Greg Anderson. And at the time, he began creating mentoring relationships between adults and youth in the community.
It was somewhat informal at the time, and then it became formalized, because there was a lot of need in the community. And it wasn't until 1991 that the Buddy Program actually became an official nonprofit in the community, and we began right here in Aspen. So, we continue to serve Aspen, but it wasn't until 2005 that we shifted some of our services downvalley to Carbondale and El Jebel and Basalt.
We have already grown to include Rifle and Glenwood Springs through four mentoring programs. So, what began as one mentoring program matching adults with youth has really evolved into four different programs that serve youth in different ways, and we are serving youth from ages 6 to 18.
Mertz: Expanding downvalley, were you seeing a need there?
Balmes: We saw a shift of population. And Glenwood, at the time, didn't have a similar program like this.
There was an opportunity for us to have a presence in Glenwood Springs and be part of the school systems there, and support youth with mentoring there. And it was in 2023 that we expanded, and it started with the LEAD program being in [about] four schools, whether it’s middle schools or high schools.
Mertz: Can you talk to me about the LEAD program? What is that?
Balmes: So, the LEAD program is really cool. It started as a pilot program at Roaring Fork High School. This was 15 years ago.
There was a need for mentoring experiences for a different age group, for teenagers specifically, and how we can meet their needs through mentoring. And there was also a need for outdoor education through the school systems. It didn't exist, or there wasn't something present at that time, and the Buddy Program saw it as an opportunity to provide mentoring through outdoor experiences through the LEAD program.
They get to learn a lot about public lands, and they get to learn a lot about outdoor education, map navigation. They get to plan all their meals for big backpacking trips, and so they get to just have a lot of hands-on experiences.
Mertz: I was reading your LEAD program reports from 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025 I believe were the years — looking at the schools that participated, how many kids participated, the demographics of those kids.
I noticed there were a lot of Latino students that participated. So, have you seen that shift of demographics change over the years? Are you doing outreach for these more underrepresented communities, maybe underserved communities throughout the valley?
Balmes: One thing I would say with the LEAD program is that anyone is welcome, and these experiences are for everyone, and they come at no cost.
We really strive to have equitable access to our programs, whether that means meeting them in their own language or providing assistance to be able to have that access. And we've noticed the shift in demographics from year to year. It changes, and it also depends on the community.
Our most served population in all four of our programs is Latino. Again, we try to be intentional with our communications and welcoming and making sure that everyone does have access to our programming.
The LEAD program, we are seeing that maybe Hispanic communities don't have the experiences in the outdoors as maybe other people might have, and so this is a really great opportunity to open the door to the outdoors to that community as well.
Mertz: Where do you see it going in the future?
Balmes: One of our goals is to always provide quality mentorship for youth and really [be] a positive influence for youth — the right influence for youth. As far as growing, we would love to continue growing. But it's challenging, and we would love to meet youth where they are.
Mertz: Absolutely. Thank you so much for coming in.
Support for this Nonprofit Spotlight series comes from the Aspen Community Foundation.
