OXFORD HILLS — “The future benefits of supporting a program that helps young people in rural areas discover passions and purposes while raising academic performance are beyond measure for Maine and beyond.”
Anyone slightly familiar with the NorthStar 4-H Youth Mentoring Program knows that the words of Dan Walsh, President and CEO of Norway Savings Bank, are not hyperbolic. They instead ring true again and again for students exposed to the wide-ranging opportunities offered there.
“The NorthStar program is a hands-on mentoring program that engages young people with adventure challenges and leadership,” said Ryder Scott, Executive Director of the University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bryant Pond where the program operates. “It’s a model that follows students over a six-year period that starts in the seventh grade and ends the summer after high school graduation.”
Norway Savings Bank donated $120,000 to fully fund the NorthStar experience for students at Telstar Middle and High Schools in Bethel from 2022-27 and at the bank’s annual Corporators’ Meeting on May 5, NSB presented a check for an additional $120,000 to fund the same opportunity for students at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School and Oxford Hills Middle School starting in September.
“The generosity of Norway Savings Bank is leading to healthier and more engaged children and youth,” said Lyndsey Smith, NorthStar Director. “Our dedicated staff and volunteers carry out the programming necessary to ensure Maine children and youth have the chance to reach their highest potential.”
“NorthStar is designed to expand horizons, increase self-resilience, and showcase leadership skills for young people in rural communities,” said Justin Bondesen, Program Coordinator at NorthStar. “Thanks to NSB, the program continues to flourish and more students can be moved by the experience and grow in countless ways.”
“We’re so grateful that Norway Savings appreciates the positive impact this experience and the mentors have on young people,” said Scott. “This is a place that has long inspired people from a variety of backgrounds to pursue and obtain social, economic, and environmental sustainability through collaboration and the development of life skills.”
“It’s incredibly impressive to see the ways NorthStar teaches and encourages effective communication, conflict resolution, and goal setting,” said Walsh. “The genuine enthusiasm of both the students and the adults as these life lessons are passed on in nature gives young people a new appreciation for what Maine and the world have to offer.”
The initiative, program, and financial commitment are working in tandem to help youth recognize and seek healthy relationships with the community, the environment, and each other.
“It has helped me learn to make new friends in different ways. I have learned many valuable life skills, like how to give a speech publicly without looking confused or nervous. This program is amazing,” said one eighth-grade student.
“It’s helped me in lots of ways,” said a seventh grader. “It’s the best.”
To learn more about the NorthStar program, visit https://extension.umaine.edu/bryantpond/northstar.
