The Juvenile Mentoring Program (JUMP) supports programs that provide one-to-one mentoring to help keep at-risk youth in school and away from drugs and crime. OJJDP awarded a total of $14 million to 73 new sites in 37 States. The grantees were selected from a pool of more than 424 applications. Because of the high level of interest and the quality of the applications, OJJDP combined FY 1998 and 1999 funds into a single round of awards. Awards ranged from $94,826 to $200,000 for use over the next 3 years. With these new awards, there are now 166 JUMP sites in 41 States.
The most recent awards, announced by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, will help more than 7,500 at-risk youth in grades 1-12. The JUMP sites represent a strong cross-section of the Nation and include rural, urban, and suburban areas. One of the new projects is on an American Indian reservation and numerous others serve American Indian youth. The mentors in JUMP represent a cross-section of the population and come from all walks of life. They include law enforcement officers, college students, senior citizens, military personnel, business leaders, doctors, lawyers, government employees, and teachers.
OJJDP also published Juvenile Mentoring Program: 1998 Report to Congress, which highlights initial evaluation findings from the 93 previously awarded JUMP projects. The initial findings are hopeful. Mentors and youth both reported that mentoring was a positive experience and that youth benefited from the experience. Youth reported that mentoring helped them stay away from alcohol and drugs, fights, peers who start trouble, and gangs and also helped them refrain from using guns or knives. The Report to Congress is available from the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (see "How To Access Information From JJC").
During FY 1998, OJJDP grantee Information Technology International of Bethesda, MD, continued its evaluation of JUMP activities, and the Office extended the evaluation period through 2001. OJJDP plans to strengthen local evaluations by developing a manual to assist JUMP sites in collecting and assessing program data.
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| OJJDP Annual Report 1998 | October 1999 | |