Strengthening Community: Collaborative Mentorship for Children & Families Impacted by Incarceration

The Be-A-Friend Program, Inc., Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie, Niagara and the Southern Tier (BAF-BBBS) proposes to implement the Strengthening Community: Collaborative Mentorship for Children & Families Impacted by Incarceration Project. The purpose of this innovative project is to provide transformative, evidence-based, one-to-one mentoring to children of incarcerated parents ages 6-17, residing in Erie and Niagara Counties in the State of NY. The project will include creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring services for the children enrolled; monthly activities for the mentoring relationships; on-going training and support to the mentors; activities and opportunities for caregiver and family engagement; and wraparound services to provide referrals to community resources and to increase community connectedness. BAF-BBBS will partner with the Osborne Association as a subrecipient to facilitate contact and visitation with the incarcerated parent for the children enrolled in the project, as well as to provide support before and after each contact/visit. The expected outcomes of this project are to: (1) create transformative one-to-one mentoring relationships between the children enrolled and volunteer mentors to impact the lives of 75 children during the three-year grant period; (2) maintain mentoring relationships for a minimum of one year; (3) facilitate and support visits between the children enrolled and their incarcerated parent; and (4) demonstrate positive and measurable social and emotional changes in attitudes and behaviors for the children enrolled to enhance their well-being and broaden their opportunities for a better future. This project is designed to advance equity and remove barriers to accessing services and opportunities for communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, adversely affected by inequality, and disproportionately impacted by crime, violence and victimization.