Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Building Resiliency, Reducing Risk

The Mentoring Opportunities for Youth Initiative, Category 1 (National Mentoring Program) provides funding to support national mentoring organizations in their efforts to strengthen and/or expand their existing mentoring activities within local chapters or sub-awardees (in at least 45 states) to reduce juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, truancy, and other problem and high-risk behaviors. FY 2016 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. Programs are required to target American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth, and are also highly encouraged to target their mentoring services to children of parents on active military duty; children of incarcerated parents; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth; youth with disabilities; and youth in rural communities.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) will work to decrease risk factors and increase protective factors for at-risk, high-risk, and underserved youth to build resiliency and improve youth outcomes. Specifically, BBBSA’s FY 2016 program will aim to increase school engagement and academic efficacy, increase pro-social skills and behaviors, and decrease the risk of juvenile delinquency or – for those youth already involved in the juvenile justice system – recidivism. To accomplish this, BBBSA will: 1) expand BBBSA mentoring services to new at-risk, high-risk, and underserved youth; and 2) enhance mentoring services by further improving and incorporating trauma-informed care into staff and mentor training, parental/caregiver engagement, and the assessment of youth risk and protective factors. BBBSA will measure the outcomes of these targeted programs and their enhancements by using its innovative, recently-developed measure, the Risk Protection Inventory, and its well-tested Youth Outcomes Survey. BBBSA will serve 2,895 new at-risk, high-risk, or underserved youth under 17 years old, including approximately 94 Native American and Alaska Native youth (including youth living on tribal lands), 25 youth with a parent in the military, 247 youth with an incarcerated parent, 135 youth in rural communities, and an additional 2,381 youth at risk or at high risk of juvenile justice involvement. BBBSA also anticipates serving 13 or more LGBTQ youth. BBBSA’s one-to-one mentoring program holds great promise as a feasible and cost-effective solution. Anticipated outcomes are decreased risk factors and increased protective factors associated with academic success and avoidance of violence and illegal behaviors among the target population. CA/NCF