Youth Services & Development Program

Youth Services and Development Corps (YSDC) provides life-broadening experiences, holistic services and caring relationships to children and families to help them become well-rounded, healthy contributing members of society.

As a subsidiary of YSDC, The Southeast White Volunteer Mentoring Program seeks to enable under-resourced youth to reach their potential by pairing them with caring, committed, adult friends.

The Southeast White House began in 1996 with the vision of being a “House on a Hill for All People in the Spirit of Jesus.” Originally, volunteers set out to get to know the Randle Highlands neighborhood and to build relationships with individuals in the community. It wasn’t long before it became clear that children would become an integral part of the life of the house. Furthermore, positive adult role models were needed to engage these children. Out of a response to the expressed needs and desires of the community, the Friends Program was created. Modeled after Friends of the Children in Portland, OR, the Friends Program is a full-time mentoring program that provides a loving adult to walk alongside a child from first grade though high school. Each friend serves as a mentor to eight children, spending 4-5 hours a week with each child. In October of 1996, two friends were brought on, and sixteen children became part of the Southeast White House family. Currently, there are 5 friends serving nearly forty students.

Within a year of its establishment, the popularity of the Friends program created a demand for more loving adults to be involved in the lives of our children. As the program grew, friends found that the children they were mentoring often had siblings that were eager to go on outings and participate in projects as well. They too wanted the attention of a caring adult. Thus, with the help of twelve volunteers from The Falls Church, a volunteer-based mentoring program (originally called the Sibling Mentoring Program) was created to serve those children. Under the supervision of various Vista volunteers, the program grew to include over fifty volunteer mentors.

In 2006, the program was renamed the Volunteer Mentoring Program and restructured to serve a more general population (no longer solely focusing on siblings).

The Southeast White House Volunteer Mentoring Program
Mentor Training Dates

Thursday September 24, 2009
7pm-9pm

Thursday October 22, 2009
7pm-9pm

Thursday November 19, 2009
7pm-9pm

Thursday December 17, 2009
7pm-9pm

Thursday January 28, 2010
7pm-9pm

Thursday February 25, 2010
7pm-9pm

Thursday March 25, 2010
7pm-9pm

Thursday April 22, 2010
7pm-9pm

Thursday May 27, 2010
7pm-9pm

Thursday June 24, 2010
7pm-9pm

All training takes place at the Southeast White House. Please call us for more details (202-575-3337)

The Southeast White House Volunteer Mentoring Program pairs committed, caring adults with under-resourced children living in Southeast Washington, D.C. 

Volunteers make a one-year (minimum) commitment to be in a one-on-one relationship with a child.  Mentors and mentees spend about ten hours a month getting to know one another in a mutually beneficial friendship.  New mentors begin by undergoing a background check, mentor training, and a personal interview.  Next he or she is introduced to the family and begins to develop a relationship with the child and his or her parent or guardian.  The role of the mentor is to be a consistent presence in the child’s life through activities and phone calls.  The mentor plans useful and fun outings to teach new skills and to reinforce positive behavior and values.  Mentors and mentees are always welcome to use the SEWH as a resource for activities such as homework sessions, cooking meals, creating art projects, and holding movie nights.  Additionally, the SEWH provides seasonal parties and activities to help build and support the mentor-mentee relationships.