Our Story

Life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to helping others.

Established in 1994 by H.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden in collaboration with members of The World Health Organization, Mentor International is the leading global federation of not-for-profit organizations working to develop youth development programs that focus on preventing drug abuse.

Since 2015, in alignment with the launch of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Mentor has broadened its focus to support Goals 3, 4, 5, 8 and 10, to keep youth healthy and realizing their full potential, especially in socio- economically challenged communities.

Mentor has spent over 25 years working tirelessly to help improve conditions for young people, inspire them to fulfill their potential and look to the future with hope. We have developed cooperations and active partnerships with international agencies, governments, other NGOs, and the corporate sector to fulfill our vision. Nearly 100 Mentor initiatives have aided prevention activities in over 80 countries. The result is empowered youth who make healthy decisions and live drug-free.

Young people around the world continue to face tough challenges. Globally, there are more young people than at any time in human history.

To lose hope is a terrible destiny. Yet, we allow hundreds of millions of children around the world to grow up deprived of that most fundamental human right. The Mentor Foundation works to defend that right by identifying and connecting individual initiatives, programs, and research centers into one single network.

H.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden