784 hours of out-of-school group activities and youth development programs throughout the pandemic.

Since March of 2020, and weekly throughout the pandemic, True North teens from three school districts have participated with their peers in academic tutoring, outdoor activities, community service, cooking classes, and more. Loneliness and isolation have been identified by mental health experts as key risk-factors leading to depression, substance abuse and mental health disorders. These issues have been especially compounded for teenagers by the pandemic and the transition to and from online learning. True North’s programs have directly confronted these risk-factors by providing key protective factors every week throughout the pandemic: hundreds of hours of social activities, group programming, peer and adult mentorship and frequent communication. In the spring of 2020, True North’s board approved a protocol to allow for safe in-person programming (found below). Through community service, outdoor excursions, workshops, art projects, and more, True North positively engaged 150 students from Telluride, Norwood, and Nucla high schools over the last year. True North also offered virtual and in-school programming throughout the year as well as matched students with private academic tutors. Our total combined student engagement hours since March of 2020 is 1,249 and counting.

IMPACT OF  CURRENT HEALTH MEASURES
As we follow the guidelines of health officials and state procedures, we have adapted group programming with the above board-approved protocol. 

Our offices are open and staff are continuing to work full time on student support remotely as well as in-person. We have ample online resources for academics, test prep, college and career readiness, and financing your education. We are available every day to connect with students via phone, email, and text. We can also schedule in-person meetings. 

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True North is available to support any students and their families, and facilitate connections to community resources. Call / text us anytime at: 970.708.1986 

"All of the True North activities they do along the way help to strengthen their resume so when the time comes to apply for scholarships, they are truly a

well-rounded individual and a competitive candidate." - Daily Planet article 

"It was awesome... yet again! They all had a blast! You are fantastic and the organization behind you is SO much fun, always seamless from a spectator's (my) end. Thank you! True North is near and dear to my heart... angelic in many ways and I am so, very grateful!"

- Jody Brown (parent of two teens, after our return from Moab, 2019)