Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2011, $2,500,000)
The Multi-State Mentoring Program was established to support the enhancement or expansion of initiatives that will assist in the development and maturity of community programs to provide mentoring services to high-risk populations that are underserved due to location, shortage of mentors, special physical or mental challenges of the targeted population, or other analogous situations identified by the community in need of mentoring services. This program is authorized by the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, Pub. L. 112-110.
The Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation proposes to fund, enrich, and evaluate 16 local sites in 13 states--Alabama, California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Wisconsin and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico-- that compose their National Partnership For Youth Mentoring. The 16 sites are currently replicating two evidence-based best practice models: Youth Safe Haven-Ministrations (9 sites) and Quantum Opportunities (7 sites). The target population is inner city youth. 450, 6-13 year-olds are being served at Safe Havens and 210 high school aged youth for Quantum. Goals for the sites include reduction in crime, drug use and gang involvement and improvement in school performance. All 16 sites will be using all 3 enhancement strategies. They will develop much greater parental involvement; use mentee focus groups and then dialogue between all sites to evolve more youth centric mentoring; and they will also create a Mentor Training Curriculum for new and experienced mentors. Program activities at the sites include homework assistance, online extra-learning to improve grades, life skills training, youth leadership training, police collaboration with parents, recreation and safe passage home. The Safe Haven Ministration sites will provide the youth with one-on-one mentoring for 1-4 hours a week and 15-25 hours of contact per week through group mentoring. They will also provide training, one hour per week of one-on-one mentoring and 15-30 hours per week of group mentoring for a cohort group of 30 high school youth in the 7 Quantum sites for all four years of high school. Moreover, the program will incorporate parent involvement via a 5 step action plan. The Eisenhower Foundation has a Management Information System which will integrate a control/comparison group at each site.
CA/NCF