Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2014, $1,000,000)
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 Metro United Methodist Urban Ministry will implement the "I Choose Me" mentoring program, designed to build a ladder of opportunity for youth of color. This mentoring program is focused within high poverty/high crime communities of San Diego, CA; Tucson, AZ; Atlanta, GA; Philadelphia, PA and Richmond, VA. The program aims to build strong, sustainable, community owned systems of support to aid in transitioning youth into positive adult role models by building the capacity of 15 community agencies and businesses and increasing awareness and community safety. Utilizing individual, group and peer activities, the program will create pro-social reinforcements within each community. Youth will participate in structured activity with mentors designed to promote positive role modeling relationships and support appropriate behaviors. Parents/caregivers and concerned community members will be supported and trained to enhance the youths prospective for success. The target population is high-risk, at-risk and under-served youth.
Performance measures include but are not limited to: percent reduction in juvenile justice contact, enhanced community safety by decreased drug use, truancy, and other high risk behaviors, and number of local partnerships created to support youth. CA/NCF