The Neighborhood Outreach Worker (NOW) Program

The OJJDP FY 10 Earmarks Program furthers the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Conference Report to accompany the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L. 111-117), H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 111-366 at 702-714.

The City of Pasadena will implement the Neighborhood Outreach Worker (NOW) Program to prevent and reduce gang activity, gang impact, and community violence in the Pasadena area. NOW recruits gang-impacted youth ages 16 to 24 who have a history of gang activity, and provides training and support services designed to build positive leadership skills, promote employability, and support an exit from the gang life style. NOW will train approximately 15 youth to serve as Neighborhood Outreach Workers. These workers will interact with no less than 500 local gang-impacted youth and their family members and neighbors to identify and resolve local concerns through non-violent means. The Neighborhood Outreach workers will work directly with teens to demonstrate positive leadership, serve as constructive role models and mentors, and prevent middle and high school youth from becoming gang involved. Sample progress measurements include: number of NOW workers recruited, number of hours of training, pre- and post-assessment of training content gains, number of youth participating in outreach activities, number of hours of community outreach services provided, and assessment of key employment and gang involvement outcomes.

NCA/NCF