Team Focus Mentoring Program - Texas Chapter

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.

Recent statistics show continued increases in the number of young males entering the juvenile justice system; single-mother households receiving federal government assistance; and female-headed households for children under the age of 18. Unless this cycle is broken there will continue to be further increases in the number of children being raised at poverty levels by mothers only, with even fewer adult males available to fill the role as a "father." This project seeks to improve the lives of 120 fatherless at-risk males, ages 10-18, by providing a year-round, comprehensive mentoring program for targeted youth in Dallas/Ft. Worth and Austin, Texas using a gender-specific three-prong mentoring approach consisting of summer leadership camps, multi-faceted educational centers/academic support, and a network of year-round mentoring support services/activities. The goal is to provide positive male role models and mentoring services in a safe environment focusing on positive character-building and offering gender specific strategies for accomplishment. Success is tracked through report cards/progress reports, pre/post surveys, staff observations, monthly reports, semi-annual reports, and mother/guardian surveys. Intended outcomes are: reduction in number of fatherless at-risk young males entering the Texas juvenile justice system; and development and maturity of fatherless at-risk young males into productive responsible adults. NCA/NCF