Positivity Outward is a nonprofit based in Montana. We empower youth through an app that provides mentors who guide self-reflection and action.

When you buy us a coffee, you are providing the opportunity for high school students to connect with a mentor. Knowing that many positive mentorship interactions happen over coffee, we thought this platform was perfect to help people know that a buying a coffee for us means connection for others. 

Our mentorship program is delivered through an app, which students use to not only connect with mentors who fit their needs but also access self-reflection and action tools. We train our carefully selected mentors to guide students in any of four categories: Achieving Wellness (mental illness topics), A Productive Mind (self-care tools), Skills for Adulting (college and career prep), and Self-discovery (greater self-understanding).

Each category comes with evidence-based resources and tools the mentors use to guide the students: first, reflect on exactly what the needs are, then determine the best action steps to meet that need and help the student have the courage to take those steps.

Our program is designed as a research-based intervention that will conduct IRB-approved research to evaluate our effectiveness and impact. We are planning to complete our pilot in rural Montana high schools over the 2021-2022 academic year, measuring outcomes of positive youth development (confidence, connection, character), and social-emotional learning (self-management, social and self-awareness, responsible decision-making).

We hope to establish ourselves as the most effective evidence-based intervention for youth empowerment as we work toward our vision: every youth feels confident in their abilities, connected to themselves and their communities, and are contributors to a better society.