What We Do
Fence at the Top is a non-profit, comprehensive mentoring program for at-risk youth in Sonoma County. Located in Santa Rosa, our mission is to provide the youth we serve with vital life skills that will foster the greatest success possible for each of them.
Our proactive approach allows us to intercept at-risk, troubled, and neglected youth at the top of the hill before they fall. On average our youth are between the ages of 9-18 years, and have a school grade point average of 2.5 or less. These youth are faced with instability in their lives. They have little or no supervision in the home. Sexually promiscuous and often lured by alcohol and/or drugs, these are the students who are tempted to drop out of school because they are not receiving the attention they need to make and maintain better choices for themselves.
To complete our mission our program is composed of several components:
- on and off-campus mentoring sessions
- sports and health programs
- field trips
- motivational speakers
- tutoring
- employment search
- community service
Working with educators, families, businesses, retired sports professionals, and members of the greater community who want today’s youth to be tomorrow’s leaders, we give students opportunities to learn basic life skills, such as team work, responsibility, self-control, perseverance, financial literacy and job search techniques. We help them experience a taste of success. Then, wherever possible, we build upon that so that they come to understand how they can be productive community members. Equipped with this know-how, youth light up with enthusiasm and ambition.
These elements all provide guidance through on-campus activities and after school events that encourage youth to focus on their grades in school as well as support them in their efforts to rise above their particular social or economic circumstances.
Studies also show that youth who receive the assistance of programs such as ours are 46 percent less likely to use drugs and 86 percent more likely to go on to college.
Fence At The Top believes that youth who are given opportunities (and tools) to success become productive citizens. As high school graduates they go on to attend college and even become role models for the next generation. That’s why we are committed to working with schools and the community to help youth who deserve and need support at this critical time in their lives. Not only does it benefit them, it also improves our society overall.
