Bridging the Gap Between At-Rick Youth and Their Communities through Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentoring

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 2017 funding will address the factors that can lead to or serve as a catalyst for delinquency or other problem behaviors in youth.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA), through its one-to-one mentoring programs, aims to increase school engagement and academic efficacy, increase pro-social skills and behaviors, and decrease the risk of juvenile delinquency and/or the rate of recidivism. To accomplish these goals, BBBSA will support its affiliates to expand their capacities to serve youth in their communities. Several affiliates have proposed targeted volunteer recruitment campaigns focused on engaging local police and other community organizations. Over the grant period, BBBSA will recruit 4,229 mentors to serve 4,229 new at-risk, high-risk, or underserved youth under the age of 17, including: 80 American Indian/Alaska Native youth (including youth living on tribal lands), 42 youth with a parent in the military, 367 youth with an incarcerated parent, 301 youth in rural communities, 85 youth with disabilities, and an additional 3,012 youth at risk or at high risk of juvenile justice involvement. BBBSA also anticipates matching 304 youth with police officer Bigs. Affiliate progress will be measured using BBBSA's Youth Outcomes Survey. CA/NCF