OJJDP supports wide-ranging mentoring initiatives to reduce juvenile delinquency, gang involvement, academic failure, victimization, and school dropout rates. While mentoring is traditionally a volunteer-based service, a need exists for staff and resources to support the efforts of each mentoring program. Developing and maintaining mentoring partnerships and collaboratives can build capacity and increase the power of mentoring to benefit more young people. Local mentoring partnerships and collaboratives can bring together public and private sector leadership, eliminate duplication of efforts, fill service gaps, and offer centralized services. The successful award recipient(s) will fund a coordinator position to support a local continuum of mentoring services for targeted youth.
The Hartford Juvenile Mentoring Collaborative expects to expand critical components of its mentoring programs. The target population for this project includes young people, ages 10-17, living in Hartford, Connecticut, at risk of academic failure and who are involved in the juvenile justice system. Strategies of this initiative include (1)the management of accountability and access between mentoring programs, referral sources and other service providers (2)the utilization of research, based on quality standards to increase the capacity for mentoring programs and (3) the development of specialized program components, including trainings to increase positive youth outcomes. The mission of the collaborative is to increase opportunities for youth mentoring programs and agencies that support them to share resources and to network. Anticipated outcomes include an increase in school connectedness, improved relationships and a reduction of problem behaviors.
CA/NCF
