Juvenile Mentoring Program

Project Summary for 1999-JG-FX-0070
The Haitian American Foundation, Inc., (HAFI) will develop and implement a culturally competent mentoring project called, "Min Nan La Min", for Haitian American inmmigrant girls in Miami's neighborhood of Little Haiti. The three-year program will target Haitian girls who are at-risk, insecure, and adrift without adults to listen and understand. The KidWay Foundation will train HAFI staff to set up a mentor program, recruit, motivate, and manage mentors. The program is unique because it will utilize "cross-generational" mentors--retired seniors--to serve as surrogate grandparents (transgenerational mentoring). Case management will also be used to strengthen families, and create a nurturing and safe environment. Mentors will be culturally competent Haitian Americans who speak Creole. They will be trained to mediate conflicts between students and school and will provide services and guidance with immigrant adjustment issues which include family services and career endeavors. The project will concentrate primarily on girls attending Morningside Elementary School. The activities will take place at HAFI after school and on weekends point for field trips, group activities, training, and advisory board meetings. Homework help and other center activities, such as HAFI's photography club, is available to mentees. In addition, families will The Haitian American Foundation, Inc. (HAFI) will sponsor a mentoring program called, "Min Nan La Min". Min Nan La Min will concentrate primarily on Morningside Elementary School and will serve at-risk Haitian immigrant girls with mentors, who were selected based on their cultural understanding of Haitian Americans and Creole. The program will offer a senior citizen component, which will serve in transgenerational mentoring. The HAFI Community Center will serve as a meeting place and activity center for most of the scheduled events.