Still They Rise Mentoring Project

Rogers County Volunteers for Youth, Inc. will implement the Still They Rise (STR) mentoring program. The program will expand and enhance a successful 25-year-old mentoring program in Rogers County, OK. Project activities include utilizing best practices in mentoring, including an evidence-based curriculum, establishing three memoranda of understanding, cultivating new mentors, tapping into new sources of underserved and/or historically marginalized mentees, engaging the families of these mentees, recruiting/screening/training/supporting new mentors, establishing new mentoring sites, and utilizing PawLea (emotional support dog) within the school, court, and family domains. Expected outcomes include memoranda of understanding with one substance treatment provider, one mental health treatment provider, and one law enforcement agency; partnership agreements with 7 community organizations to provide 115 volunteers who are highly committed, screened, and equipped adult mentors; and provision of mentoring services to 180 targeted youth from 6 new sources of referrals. The intended beneficiaries of the STR project are 6- to 17-year-olds determined to be at an elevated risk for substance misuse, including those currently experiencing substance use disorder, chronically truant, limited income, Native American, children of incarcerated or recently released parents, children/youth of parents/caregivers in addiction or recovery, and youth in the juvenile correction system. Rogers County Volunteers for Youth will not use any portion of the project budget to conduct research and will not make subawards with any requested funds.