The PAL TRY (Teaming to Redirect Youth)

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).

The purpose of the East Orange PAL T.R.Y. (Teamwork Reaching Youth) Program is to provide early intervention and prevention services through the educational mentoring relationship and recreational program to over 150 'High Risk' youth ages 7 to 17. These youth are at risk of educational failure, truancy and introduction to the juvenile delinquency system. Program strategies are designed to encourage youth to strive to go beyond their blighted conditions and use the city bricks to build a future and achieve their dreams while living in the urban city. The East Orange PAL T.R.Y. is a successful program that uses mandatory parental involvement to help heal the youth, family and community. Over 80% of the East Orange PAL's parents are from single headed households where few parents have the necessary parenting skills to provide a safe and stimulating home environment, therefore there can be escalating problems of school discipline, drug and alcohol abuse and gang activity. The expected outcomes are improved academics, better school attendance rates, reduction in juvenile crime and increase in student graduations. The evaluation of East Orange PAL T.R.Y. Mentoring/Recreational Program will be a systematic process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting information to determine the extent to which the program is effective in meeting the needs of students, their families and the community. NCA/NCF