Project Intercept Mentoring Program

The OJJDP FY 09 Earmarks Programs further the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Explanatory Statement Regarding H.R. 1105 (Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009), 155 Cong. Rec. H1653 (daily ed. Feb. 23, 2009) (statement by Rep. Obey, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of the House).

In the last decade, the number of disenfranchised and alienated youth in the Flatbush, Borough Park, Sunset Park and Bay Ridge areas of Brooklyn, New York has grown significantly. Students 'turn off' from school and 'tune out' from their families, turning to drugs and other antisocial behaviors. As a result of the increasing number of youth affected, the community cannot afford to ignore this phenomenon. Research shows that providing youth with consistent adult support, through a well supervised, consistent long term mentoring relationships, improves grades and family relationships and helps prevent initiation of drug and alcohol use (Tierney and Grossman, 1995). The goals of Project Intercept are to: (1) identify youth who display early-stage problems; (2) to intercept them from the path they seem to be taking; and (3) to help them onto a more socially acceptable path instead. Such youngsters will be identified though established and expanded relationships with local schools and youth programs as well as other educators and youth workers who can refer mentoring candidates to us. Project Intercept pairs up early-stage at-risk youth individually with mentors. The Project will recruit mentors and will train and supervise them. Progress will be measured by the regular and timely attendance of the mentees, improvement in students' grades, improvement in coming to school on a regular and timely basis and other relevant criteria. NCA/NCF