Community Outreach Mentoring Program (COMP)

The Mentoring Opportunities for Youth Initiative, Category 4 (Project Sites and Mentoring Strategies for Youth Impacted by Opioids) supports youth mentoring organizations that have a demonstrated partnership with a public or private substance abuse treatment agency. The focus of this category is to provide mentoring services as a part of a prevention, treatment and supportive approach for those youth impacted by opioids. This program is authorized and funded pursuant to Pub. L. No. 116-6, 133 Stat. 13, 115.

The Community Outreach Mentoring Program (COMP) will serve at-risk youth under age 17, children of parents on active duty, children of incarcerated parents, and youth who are currently using opioids or impacted by opioid abuse. Target youth reside in rural, urban, and metropolitan areas. COMP's goals are to (1) deliver structured mentoring activities; (2) reduce juvenile delinquency; (3) improve academic performance; (4) reduce the number of school dropouts; (5) recruit, train, and retain mentors for at-risk underserved youth; and (6) enhance the capacity of local efforts by expanding community collaborations. COMP’s objectives are (1) to expose to positive mentors 100 percent of the youth enrolled; (2) to have 70 to 80 percent of enrolled youth ages K–12 not be involved in criminal activities while participating in the program; (3) to have 75 percent or more of the enrolled students’ grades improve as evidenced by progress reports; (4) to have 80 percent of the enrolled students remain in school; (5) to have 80 percent of recruited and trained mentors remain involved in the program, and (6) to have 80 percent of the community partners remain in collaborative efforts throughout the duration of the grant. COMP will utilize three evidence-based program curricula that can be easily replicated and effective in promoting character development and reducing delinquency, crime, school dropout rates, and related risk factors. Partnerships for the program will include parents, families in need of services, juvenile courts, probation officers, attorneys, school systems, and community- and faith-based organizations. The proposed project will have three sites in Louisiana,including one site each of the parishes of Bossier, Caddo, and Natchitoches. Together the COMP partners will serve 1,000 at-risk underserved youth under age 17. Services will be provided in schools, afterschool programs, and some Saturdays and holidays throughout the grant period. CA/NCF