Police chief: 250 Sioux Falls kids are waiting for mentors

Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum hears plenty about young people “making bad choices” in the community.

He doesn’t hear enough about what he considers a critical prevention tool: People willing to intervene early and often in a young person’s life through mentorship.

Thum acknowledges that he has spoken “ad nauseam” about the topic but held a news conference today because he sees a need to give the topic more urgency.

“There are over 250 kids on waiting lists for mentorship within our community,” he said. “Two hundred and fifty kids who want mentors, who need mentors, who need adults to step up in their lives.”

Thum and Mayor Paul TenHaken’s Sioux 52 mentorship initiative had 89 mentors sign up all last year, he said. There has been almost a 50 percent decrease in mentors at Title I schools since 2019, a combination of the pandemic and a generational change as older mentors retired or found themselves no longer able to get to the schools.

“The younger generation needs to stand up and say we’ll carry that banner for our kids and make the time,” Thum said. “We are extremely grateful to those who have answered the call, and we need more people to step up.”

The commitment typically is about 40 minutes a week, and mentors find both students and their schools are eager to see them, said Chris Bierle, dean of students at Laura B. Anderson Elementary.

“Mentors provide more than just time,” he said. “They offer students personalized support and attention, something many kids don’t get elsewhere.”

Don’t think you need to be a therapist or counselor, Thum and Bierle added. Often, mentoring involves playing a game, sharing a meal or just talking about what’s new and offering support.

“They’re looking for someone to show up, be their friend, provide guidance, be a stable adult influence in their life, and many of us have the capabilities to do that,” Thum said.

It adds up to a big impact, Bierle said. He shared the story of one student with significant challenges at home who had become so disruptive at school he couldn’t be in his classroom much. Since receiving a mentor, he’s back with his class 90 percent of the time with a noticeable behavior improvement.

“His progress shows what’s possible when students know someone is consistently in their corner,” he said.

When businesses or organizations adopt a school, there’s even bigger impact. At the University of Sioux Falls, for instance, school personnel and students have mentored at nearby Edison Middle School, causing the school to have the highest number of mentors in the city.

Thum, who mentors a student himself, also coaches youth soccer. There are many pathways to making a positive impact in kids’ lives, he said.

“This is something we can’t throw money at,” he said. “This is something we have to throw time at.”

To learn more about Sioux 52, click here.

To learn more about mentoring through LSS, click below.

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