Youth Mentoring Initiative

This grant program is authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) (the 'Recovery Act'). Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention made awards to support local organizations that develop, implement, or expand local mentoring programs leading to measurable, positive outcomes for at-risk youth. This program furthers the Department's mission by enhancing the capacity of local mentoring programs to develop and implement mentoring strategies to reduce juvenile delinquency and prevent violence.

The Youth Mentoring Initiative will provide over a four-year period one-to-one mentoring matches for a minimum of 240 youth, ages 6-17, who have been identified as at risk/high risk of delinquent behaviors due to circumstances of poverty, illiteracy, a history of family incarceration, juvenile victimization, involvement in the juvenile justice system, and/or other societal factors which threaten positive development. The project will partner with school systems, higher education institutions, local government, youth serving organizations, other non-profits, and community and civic groups in referral and recruitment efforts for both volunteer mentors and eligible youth. All project participants will be enrolled, screened, matched, and supported according to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America's research-based and evidence-based Service Delivery Model. Youth and volunteers will be matched according to the needs of the youth and the strengths of the volunteer mentor, and matches will be supervised and supported by project staff throughout the match relationship. The majority of project matches will be community based although staff may determine that a school-based match would be more appropriate for some of the youth enrolling. Matches will be established with the expectation of a minimum of a one year commitment by both mentor and mentee, and anticipated outcomes for youth include improvements in academics, attitude toward school, sense of the future, respect for other cultures, and relationships with peer and family.

This grant award will retain one job and create 2 jobs, thus the project achieves the Recovery Act objective of promoting economic recovery by preserving or creating jobs.

CA/NCF