Aurora Youth Options-Mentoring

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.

The Aurora Youth Options Mentoring Program (AYO Mentoring) will provide adult mentoring to at least 90 adolescents during the first three years. The adolescents will be at serious risk of recruitment into street gangs, but will not be members. The project will be connected to Aurora Youth Options, a funded program that seeks out and serves youth at risk of problem behavior and truancy and links them to services provided by more than 20 collaborating agencies, including the city government, courts, police, juvenile justice, schools and human services. The AYO Mentoring project uses the Gate-keeper Model (a SAMHSA promising practice) of identification, screening and recruitment adapted for the target population. AYO Mentoring will contract with one of the metropolitan Denver area's best mentor training program in a 'train the trainer' model. It also will contract with a program of education and organized mentor/youth activity operated by a faith-based organization. Proselytizing will not occur; faith-based activities will not be government funded. CA/NCF