Fayette County Youth Mentoring Initiative

The Mentoring Opportunities for Youth Initiative, Category 3 (Mentoring Programs for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Justice System) provides funding to support youth mentoring organizations that have a demonstrated partnership with a juvenile justice agency. The focus is to provide mentoring services to those youth screened as being low risk to public safety by a juvenile justice agency as part of an overall diversion approach with a goal of rehabilitation and accountability. This program is authorized and funded pursuant to Pub. L. No. 115-141, 132 Stat. 348, 423.

Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP) proposes to implement a mentoring program for youth age 17 and younger involved in the juvenile justice system in rural and urban areas of Fayette County, Kentucky. YAP’s Fayette County Youth Mentoring Initiative is designed to provide an intensive mentoring approach to comprehensively address risk factors correlated to delinquency while simultaneously building protective factors for participating youth and families. The program will provide mentoring services to youth screened as being low risk to public safety by YAP’s partnering juvenile justice agencies as part of an overall diversion approach, with a goal of rehabilitation and accountability. Services may also be provided to youth post-adjudication as part of an alternative-to-detention approach for youth on probation or community supervision. Fayette County experiences significant interconnected challenges that will be addressed, including youth detention/incarceration, truancy and poor school performance, child out-of-home care due to abuse/neglect, substance use, and trauma/violence issues. The proposed project will (1) expand programming to serve a minimum of 70 justice-involved youth over the 3-year award period in one-on-one mentoring with a trained advocate (paid mentor), (2) engage a minimum of 70 youth over the 3-year award period in group life skills training activities, and (3) engage a minimum of 70 youth and their parents/caregivers over the 3-year award period in family engagement activities. Program goals will be accomplished through individual mentoring, life skills training activities (e.g., Peaceful Alternatives To Touch Situations, Casey Life Skills, No Judgment Zone), and family engagement activities (e.g., Strengthening Families Program, Family Nights). Anticipated program outcomes will include, but are not limited to, developed social/emotional competencies, developed vocational/education competencies, increased hopefulness for the future, increased community and professional supports, and increased family stabilization. CA/NCF