OJJDP's partnership with Eastern Kentucky University continues to offer satellite teleconferences on timely juvenile justice and delinquency prevention issues. The most recent broadcast, Mentoring for Youth in Schools and Communities, aired September 18, 1997. This broadcast built on the work of the President's April 1997 summit to provide community-based organizations with information and resources to develop successful mentoring programs. More than 15,000 local, State, and Federal policymakers, youth service providers, educators, juvenile justice practitioners, law enforcement personnel, and others concerned about the well-being of youth participated in this interactive program at 516 downlink sites.

The broadcast addressed elements that a Public/Private Ventures (P/PV) assessment found critical to successful mentoring programs. Mentoring can positively affect children's lives. According to the P/PV study, adolescents in even the most difficult circumstances tend to stay in school, avoid risky behaviors, and develop the resiliency needed to grow into self-sufficient adults when they have a relationship with caring and committed adults.

During the broadcast, viewers interacted with leaders of mentoring organizations in Los Angeles, CA; Phoenix, AZ; and Boston, MA. Senator Frank Lautenberg (NJ), the Senate's leading mentoring advocate, and General Colin Powell, Director of America's Promise, offered their views on the importance of mentoring.

If you missed this teleconference or want copies for your library, the 2-hour videotape with accompanying participant guide is available from the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse in VHS format for $17 ($21 if shipped outside the United States). Use the order form on page 27. Copies of previous broadcasts are also available from the Clearinghouse. Call 800-638-8736 for further information.

Upcoming Conferences

Visit OJJDP's Juvenile Justice Conference Calendar on the World Wide Web at https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/eventscalendar/CalendarMainPage.aspx for information on upcoming conferences, including teleconferences and videoconferences, workshops, and seminars on youth issues. Events of interest to the juvenile justice community can be found in this comprehensive, user-friendly resource. Listings include the title of the event and the sponsoring organization, the location and date, major topics to be covered and the intended audiences, and a contact for obtaining more information or registering.

The calendar also provides links to the sponsoring organizations' World Wide Web pages and to conference registration forms, where available. A convenient online entry form allows users to easily submit information about their own events for possible inclusion in the calendar.