Bolder Options Replication and Expansion

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.

Bolder Options is a mentoring program model based on four main elements: (1) a focus on healthy lifestyles as a key to personal success in every youth; (2) a dedication to a program which uses an integrated system of delivery that encompasses stakeholders from the entire community; (3) a belief in program quality; and (4) a reliance on evaluation to consistently improve program quality.

Bolder Options' comprehensive truancy intervention program coordinates family, community, school, and county resources in a united effort to combat truancy and juvenile delinquency. The Hennepin and Ramsey County court systems, Minneapolis and Saint Paul public schools, and other social service agencies in the Twin Cities refer participants to Bolder Options.

In 2009 Bolder Options served 153 youth and currently youth referrals exceed volunteer mentors 2:1. Bolder Options has the capacity to serve 160 Twin Cities metro youth annually in 2010 and 175 youth in 2011. The purpose of this initiative is to support the addition of a 5th Program Coordinator who will serve Spanish-speaking youth, support program evaluation and research to provide the best services possible, and support mentor recruitment efforts of the organization through strategic marketing campaigns to ultimately serve more youth. NCA/NCF