Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2008, $380,098)
The Middlecreek Area Community Center in collaboration with the Linkages and Youth Aid Panel Programs seeks to increase parent involvement and mentors for the Snyder County's at-risk youth to address the county's highest truancy problems. Linkages will provide adolescents from the Central Pennsylvania community with the opportunity to increase their well-being by providing a healthy way to define themselves and their role in the community. Adolescents will be matched with a university student who will offer social and recreational competencies as well as serve as a role-model involved in higher education. The adolescents will then be matched with elementary-aged children to serve as mentors and will be the middle link, providing them with a sense of belonging through the mentoring relationship. At the same time, they will be examples and teachers to younger children, providing the adolescents with a sense of purpose. The project seeks to serve 1,200 youths over a 3-year period. Progress will be measured by the number of participants attending the classes and the number of juveniles successfully completing the Youth Aid Panel contract. The project will track the delinquency of the students who completed the program. Qualitative data will also be gathered through structured interviews with program participants. A feedback survey will be provided to teachers, guidance counselors and parents of the participants. NCA/NCF