|
Introduction As the challenges facing America’s youth grow, programs must become more creative in countering the steady stream of negative influences that children face each day. One of the most potentially effective methods is to offer a caring and responsible adult role model who can make a positive, lasting impression on a child. Youth mentoring programs provide a forum in which volunteer adult mentors can develop supportive relationships with at-risk youth to help them succeed through their childhood and adolescent years.The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has supported mentoring in a variety of ways, including the SafeFutures Initiative, whose goal is to prevent and control youth crime and victimization, and the State Formula Grants program, many of whose projects offer mentoring as part of their service delivery. However, OJJDP’s greatest support for mentoring projects has been through the Juvenile Mentoring Program (JUMP). Part G of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974, as amended in 1992 (P.L. 93–415: 42 U.S.C. 5667e et seq.), established JUMP. This program provides one-to-one mentoring for youth at risk of delinquency, gang involvement, educational failure, or dropping out of school. Since the program’s implementation in 1996, great strides have been made in enhancing the body of knowledge available about mentoring as a potential intervention for at-risk youth. Information has been collected through an automated JUMP management information system (MIS), intensive case studies, and extensive communication with grantee agencies. Currently, data are available for 7,515 youth, 6,163 mentors, and 6,362 matches.1
|
| Previous | Contents | Next |
|
|
|
| Juvenile Mentoring Program: A Progress Review | |