GPS Gang Prevention Youth Mentoring Program

OJJDP seeks applicants to establish mentoring programs that offer a mixture of core services and engage youth with activities that enable them to practice healthy behaviors within a positive pro-social peer group. The target population should be youth at risk of gang activity, delinquency, and youth violence. This program should develop and strengthen protective factors against gang involvement and other problem behaviors. It can be based in a school or community setting. Successful applicants will include organizations, local school districts, and communities dealing with demonstrated gang problems who are a part of a communitywide strategy to combat gang activity. This initiative is authorized under the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2009, Pub. L. 111-8.

Family Services of Westchester (FSW), through its GPS Mentoring, will reduce risk of gang involvement, violence and delinquency among high-risk youth ages 10-15 in Mount Vernon. This effort will match 120 youth with pro-social adult mentors who will establish/sustain Big Brother/Big Sister (BBBS) relationships; conduct peer groups with pro-social activities to build communication, conflict resolution, decision-making, other life skills, including mock trial curriculum designed for high-risk youth; and support youth/family through case management and parent workshops to help youth reach goals. In addition to the federally mandated performance measures, GPS will collect and report data on the number of GPS program staff trained; number of partners attending Advisory Council meetings; number of Advisory Council meetings; numbers of youth referred by referral source; number of assessments completed; numbers of Individual Action Plans (IAPs) developed; numbers of mentors screened, mentors trained and the total hours of training attended; numbers of matches made; and follow-up contacts made with mentors, mentees and parents/family members documented; and numbers of peer groups attended by youth participants. CA/NCF