The Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP)

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 (specifically opioid abuse), truancy, and other problem and high-risk behaviors. FY 2018 funding will address the factors that can lead to or serve as a catalyst for delinquency or other problem behaviors in underserved youth, including youth in high-risk environments. Programs are encouraged to target their mentoring services to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth; children of parents on active military duty; children of incarcerated parents; youth with disabilities; youth with opioid/substance abuse problems; and youth in rural communities. This program is authorized and funded pursuant to Pub L. No. 116-6, 133 Stat. 13, 115.

The Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP) will enhance the delivery of high-tech, career-focused mentoring to youth with disabilities ages 17 and younger who are at risk of court involvement. To do this, RAMP will formalize all six core standards of mentoring practice, strengthen training (for mentors, youth, and communities), and promote family engagement. RAMP will work with existing sites to identify effective strategies across the varied sites and create standards of practice for all 10 sites, located in 10 states. The sites will represent rural and urban communities with high poverty, high disability, low graduation, or high unemployment rates. All sites will enroll youth with physical, mental health, and developmental disabilities and use the Institute for Educational Leadership’s existing Community School partnerships, rural education network, and community-driven approaches to reach a wider diversity of youth at additional sites in each state. RAMP utilizes one-on-one meetings, developing individualized plans, peer-supported goal setting sessions, and weekly career-focused group meetings. The FY 2019 RAMP sites will build the capacity of youth, mentors, families, and communities by enhancing the training area. Sites will strengthen training for mentors, mentees, and families in adolescent development, relationship building, boundaries, career development, and STEM. To increase community capacity, leadership development training will be provided for all stakeholders, including law enforcement. As family engagement is crucial to youth success, sites will continue to expand family engagement efforts. RAMP will increase the number of youth matched with trained mentors, remaining in school, avoiding arrest, and developing transition plans for work and postsecondary education. Short-term and intermediate outcomes will be documented by the number of mentors recruited, trained, and matched; number of youth with disabilities recruited, matched, and completing career exploration activities and interest assessments; number of individualized mentoring plans completed and individual goals met; number, participation, and quality of trainings; number of family members contacted and actively engaged in program events; and number of youth remaining in school and avoiding arrest or recidivism. No research will be conducted. CA/NCF