History

The Washington State Mentoring Partnership (WSMP) was initiated in 1999 by the Department of Social and Health Services. The WSMP expanded in 2004 with the support of Costco Wholesale. Today, it is poised to help close the mentoring gap in Washington.

The mentoring gap refers to the number of young people in Washington who could benefit from a mentor, but do not have one. Today, there are 1.5 million youth in our state under the age of 18. According to a recent WSMP survey, more than 240,000 of those young people could benefit from a mentoring relationship, yet only 20,000 have a mentor. The WSMP’s mission is to eliminate this gap.

The WSMP is advised by two bodies, our Leadership and Provider Councils. The latter group is comprised of 25 mentoring providers from across the state. The Provider Council is instrumental in helping the WSMP identify the needs of mentoring providers in Washington. The Provider Council is co-chaired by Pamela Dailey of Clark County Department of Human Services and Hazel Cameron of the 4C's Mentoring Coalition.

The WSMP also receives support and direction from our Leadership Council. This body is made up of influential members of the private and public sector who help develop and maintain the WSMP's vision. The Leadership Council is co-chaired by Lt. Governor Brad Owen and WSU alumnus and legendary Cougar quarterback, Jack Thompson.