Youth Leadership and Mentoring
Consistent, credible mentoring relationships paired with leadership-development activities that help young people set goals, build confidence, and lead projects in their own neighborhoods.
Learn more →Milwaukee, Wisconsin · Since 2013
Breaking barriers, one relationship at a time.
We serve youth, young adults, and adults who have been directly or systemically impacted by incarceration — with mentoring, wellness, violence prevention, and real pathways forward.
501(c)(3) Public Charity
Community-based and community-led
Founded 2013
Madison, Milwaukee, and across Wisconsin
No cost to participants
Referrals welcome from families and partners
Our mission
Support at the individual and community level
Breaking Barriers Mentoring is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit serving youth, young adults, and adults who have been directly or systemically impacted by incarceration. We unite community leaders, mentors, and organizers to provide support at both the individual and community level for people facing systemic barriers to success.
How we work
Six pillars of our approach
Credible Mentorship
Mentors with lived experience who show up consistently and are trusted by the people they walk beside.
Leadership Development
Young people practice leading — planning projects, speaking up, and guiding peers.
Wellness and Healing
Movement, mindfulness, and connection as everyday tools for stress, grief, and pressure.
Conflict Resolution
Conflict-resolution education and peer mediation that keep disagreements from becoming harm.
Opportunity Pathways
Practical steps toward work, training, and education after systemic setbacks.
Community Partnership
Shared work with residents, schools, and organizations so change holds at the neighborhood level.
Programs
Programs built around real needs
Youth Be Well
Wellness and healing programming — movement, mindfulness, and peer connection — that gives young people practical tools for stress, grief, and everyday pressure.
Learn more →Violence Prevention and Community Safety
Community-led violence prevention informed by credible-messenger and violence-interruption practices: conflict mediation, peer support, and neighborhood presence.
Learn more →Who we serve
People, not case numbers
Youth and Young Adults
Young people facing systemic barriers who want mentorship, leadership, and a path forward.
Adults Impacted by Incarceration
People returning home or living with the long reach of the criminal legal system.
Families and Caregivers
Parents, guardians, and relatives holding households together through hard seasons.
Wisconsin Communities
Neighborhoods organizing for safety, opportunity, and self-determination.
In the community
Moments from our programs
Get involved
There is a place for you here
Mentor a young person, volunteer at an event, partner with us, or give so this work keeps going.