Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2017, $1,500,000)
The Mentoring Opportunities for Youth Initiative, Category 2 (Multi-State Mentoring Program) provides funding to support mentoring organizations in their efforts to strengthen and/or expand their existing mentoring activities within local chapters or sub-awardees (in at least 5 states but fewer than 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.
The Mid-Atlantic Network of Youth & Family Services, a national network of 180 members serving youth and young adults at highest risk for victimization and/or delinquency, will provide sub-awards to selected network chapters to implement the Mentoring+ model to strengthen mentoring activities and expand community-based, one-to-one mentoring services to additional at-risk and high-risk youth.
The goal of the Mentoring+ model is to improve positive outcomes for youth at-risk or high risk for involvement in the juvenile justice system through quality mentoring services that increase youthsÂ’ resiliency to individual, social, and environmental risk factors that can lead to juvenile delinquency. The objectives are to: 1) expand direct one-on-one community-based mentoring services to a target population of at-risk and high-risk youth and 2) strengthen protective factors supporting resiliency by enhancing mentoring services with research-based strategies for targeted youth. The Mentoring+ target population for this grant is youth ages 6-17 who are at-risk or high-risk for involvement in the juvenile justice system. This includes children of incarcerated parents; runaway and homeless youth, foster youth, and youth currently in detention or alternative placements. Additional mentors will be recruited to support the program objectives.
Long-term outcomes include: 90% of youth do not offend or re-offend while participating; 75% of youth exhibit desired change in behavior (increase in resiliency/protective factors); 60% of matches last longer than 12 months; and 50% of families access a new community resource. (CA/NCF)