2017 National PAL Mentoring Initiative

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.

The National Association of Police Athletic/Activities League, Inc. (NPAL), in partnership with its affiliated Chapters proposes to implement the NPAL Mentoring Program NPAL. This program will expand and enhance group mentoring to directly address risk factors for juvenile delinquency through improved community relationships, utilizing a menu of evidence-based mentoring strategies that emphasize positive relationship building and community leadership development. The goal of the NPAL Mentoring Program is to increase protective factors (improved social competencies, commitment to school and community, positive relationships with adults) and reduce risk factors (positive attitudes to drugs and gang involvement, interaction with the juvenile justice system, association with antisocial peers) of at-risk and high-risk youth. To accomplish this, NPAL will work with target youth ages 8-17 through weekly small group mentoring activities that engage members of law enforcement agencies as mentors. NPAL will enhance and expand its existing mentoring efforts by providing PAL Chapters with a variety of evidence-based practices and curricula designed to address delinquent behavior, promote public safety, and prevent juvenile crime. NPAL Mentoring will provide local PAL Chapters support for group mentoring over a twelve month period; improve the quality of mentoring conducted by local Chapters; provide ongoing training and capacity building; expand curricula to be used by PAL Chapters specific to mentees’ age groups; and thoroughly track performance measures and outcomes by updating existing data management systems. CA/NCF