Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation - Badges for Baseball group mentoring program

The Multi-State Mentoring Program provides funding to support established mentoring organizations in their efforts to strengthen and/or expand their existing mentoring activities within local chapters or sub-awardees in five or more states to reduce juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, truancy, and other problem and high-risk behaviors. FY 2014 funding will address the factors that can lead to or serve as a catalyst for delinquency or other problem behaviors in underserved youth, including youth in high-risk environments, children of incarcerated parents and tribal youth. The program is comprised of three categories: Category 1 for organizations implementing one-on-one mentoring programs, Category 2 for Group mentoring programs and Category 3 for a combination of both one-on-one and group mentoring.

The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (CRSF) will expand its Badges for Baseball group mentoring program to serve at-risk youth, primarily ages 9-14, who are recruited through area schools and community based organizations in underserved communities throughout the U.S. The program uses a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach to build resilience in youth while providing a platform to create long-term mentoring relationships. The project will pair law enforcement and public safety mentors with kids to decrease juvenile delinquency through team sports. Building on seven years of mentoring program experience, CRSF will continue to work with community partners to ensure Badges for Baseball is implemented in new communities as well as expanded in existing locations. This project will allow for the expansion of current CRSF efforts to deliver structured activities for both mentees and their mentors (i.e. summer camps, baseball/softball clinics, "College Experience Days") while also increasing the CRSF focus on providing ongoing training and support for mentors by improving access to research-based mentoring best practices. CRSF works with agencies such as state Attorneys General, state associations of law enforcement, national law enforcement agencies, and local police departments to recruit, train, and retain law enforcement professionals as mentors. Expanding and enhancing training services available to mentors through the program has been and will be a large focus in CRSF's continuous efforts. The project will provide volunteer training (mentoring and coaching), resources (including funding and sports equipment) direct programming (summer camps and/or clinics), additional curriculum materials, and access to on-going training using CRSFPortal.org.

Performance measures include but are not limited to: the number of youth participating in the program's character education curriculum through their mentoring relationship; the number of youth mentees participating in "College Day Experiences"; the number of military youth and/or youth with special needs (in addition to the 4,000 Badges for Baseball participants) participating in CRSF programming; the number of mentors participating in online training programs during the award period resulting in their increased knowledge related to evidence-based mentoring best practices; and the number of law enforcement/public safety partnerships (active partners) created as a result of the program. CA/NCF