Recent Posts
ABOUT
Just One Starfish recruits and trains high school students from all Christian denominations to become mentors. The purpose of Just One Starfish is mission – we are about showing God’s love to at-risk students in our community through mentoring and encouraging.
Our Ministry
For Youth Workers
Just One Starfish pairs high school age Christian youth with at-risk upper elementary school students for one-on-one mentoring. Learn how you can empower your students to do relational ministry and make a positive impact on your community.
Parents and Teachers
Just One Starfish mentors apply and are recommended by their church youth ministry leaders as positive, encouraging role models. Both schools and younger "mentees" alike will benefit when mentors invest their time and compassion in one-on-one mentoring. Together, we can make a difference one life at a time.
The beginning of Just One Starfish
Posted by Erin Jackson in Blog, Featured
I want to share the story of “Just One Starfish.”
You most likely have heard the modern day parable about the starfish. There are different variations, but it goes something like this:
Our local community is full of problems:
15.9% of Arlington, TX residents live below the poverty level
22.3% of the children in Arlington (that’s 1 in 5!) are living below the poverty level
Most of the families living below the poverty level (51%) are households with a female head of household, no husband present.
(source: http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Arlington-Texas.html)
Our community is not alone in having problems, every community has its share of problems. But the alarming part of the problem is the children that are getting lost in the shuffle. When there are less adults available to provide positive role modeling, more children are left to figure things out on their own. Children without role models encouraging them can fall into the trap of slipping grades, dropping out of school, rising crime, or worse.
We can’t solve all of the problems. But we can empower high school students – who we believe are ready to use their God-given gifts for relational ministry – to mentor these at-risk younger children, we absolutely can make a difference, one at a time. “It matters to this one.”
Just One Starfish works with local youth ministers to identify high school students that are hungry to give back to the community. We train mentors and prayerfully match each mentor with an at-risk upper elementary school student.
We work with elementary school counselors and principals to identify upper elementary school students that need someone to invest their time in their lives. Mentors and mentees meet once a week after school at the elementary school campus.
The objective of the mentoring relationship is to show God’s love by caring and encouraging. Imagine the impact a caring high schooler can have in the life of a younger student – someone who’ll listen, help with homework, laugh and play together. Someone who is there for the mentee every week, just loving them.
Thank you for coming to learn about Just One Starfish. Whether you’re a youth worker, student, parent, teacher or friend, there are ways you can help support and grow this ministry. Your help is needed and together we can transform our communities.