Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2009, $500,000)
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.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit serves as the leadership arm of a unique partnership of three Detroit-based organizations with extensive track records of serving high-risk children. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit, Alternatives For Girls, and the Think Detroit Police Athletic League possess stellar organizational backgrounds and a strong commitment to collaboration. With this funding, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit plans to implement a comprehensive mentoring initiative to offer joint youth gang primary prevention and secondary prevention/intervention services. Annually, they will serve approximately 200 youth (500 unduplicated individuals over three-years) at-risk for contact with the law enforcement, judicial or juvenile detention systems. The collaborative will annually match 85 youth at risk of gang activity, delinquency and youth violence with properly screened and trained adult volunteers. A team of 6 to 8 high-risk youth will participate in a peer education/youth employment program to engage in community education activities. Approximately 100 youth will participate annually in a coach-mentored sports program in a group setting. Program youth will be trained and employed as sports officials in formal local youth athletic programs. The partners will build off the infrastructure of the Big Brothers Big Sisters' Program Outcome Evaluation and Agency Information Management systems to measure project performance. CA/NCF