Utah 4-H Mentoring Initiative

The Mentoring Opportunities for Youth Initiative, Category 3 (Collaborative Mentoring Program) provides funding to support organizations that form a collaborative of at least three and as many as five mentoring organizations in their efforts to strengthen and/or expand their existing mentoring programs 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 Utah 4-H Mentoring Initiative is comprised of three collaborative mentoring programs: Utah County 4-H (Lead Applicant), Utah County Extension and Duchesne County 4-H. The program provides community based one-on-one mentoring in the urban communities of Orem and Provo, and the suburban community of Spanish Fork, and will provide after school based group mentoring to the rural community of Roosevelt.

The target population will include 200-300 at-risk youth who are in 4th to 8th grade, and they will be matched with 170-255 mentors. The purpose of this project is to decrease delinquent behavior while increasing positive outcomes in youth by implementing systematic enhancements into the evidence-based Youth & Families with Promise Model including: adding a 2-day mentor conference to the regular orientation and ongoing mentor trainings, establishing a Mentor Council to provide ongoing mentor support, increasing the number of family strengthening workshops, and conducting an annual 4-H Family Camp to strengthen family relationships. Project goals and expected outcomes are to decrease delinquent behavior, increase positive outcomes and strengthen family bonds. Goals will be measured through an end of the year survey evaluation using the 4-H Common Measures instrument utilized by the National 4-H Council and USDA to evaluate their mentoring programs as well as the collection of data such as mentor reports and attendance at program activities. (CA/NCF)