Foster Youth Development Mentoring Program

One of the major challenges that foster care children often face in their personal development is the lack of the involvement of a consistent, caring adult in their lives. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) will assist communities in establishing or expanding mentoring and support services for youth in foster care and foster care youth involved in the juvenile justice system. The legislative authority for this initiative can be found in the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2009, Pub. L. 111-8.

This program provides animal assistance and horticultural therapeutic interventions that help abused kids find support and healing. This program matches youth with an adult mentor to increase self confidence and prepare them for adulthood. It supports academic standards and allows youth to experience animal welfare work.

This program will serve 125 foster care youth, ages 14-18. Some of the goals of the program are to keep kids in school and avoid delinquency. This program measures program completion, school attendance, truancy, delinquency and recidivism. CA/NCF