Developing Community Center-Based Mentoring Programs, Essay Example

Transmittal

At-risk youth often lack strong, positive role models. Climbing divorce rates and shifts in demographic, societal, and cultural norms have created situations where many children grow up in an environment where there is no “safety net” of adults to assist them as they navigate the route from youth to adulthood. Even under the best of circumstances, children require the guidance of family, teachers, and other members of the community to help them develop the interpersonal, educational, and vocational skills they will need to succeed in life. As the traditional roles and responsibilities of parents give way to the pressures of changing economic and social realities, far too many young people are left to fend for themselves in terms of developing these and other vital life skills. Many of these at-risk young people end up ensnared in the criminal justice system, involved in gang activity, or otherwise succumbing to the various pitfalls that await those who are bereft of the opportunities afforded by the presence of positive role models.

Throughout the United States, various community organizations have risen to the challenge of providing mentoring programs for at-risk youth; from national organizations such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters to smaller, community based programs, thousands of at-risk youth are learning the value of the relationships that mentoring provides. For many young people, simply having access to activities that provide an alternative to the lure of gang activity and other risky behavior can make all the difference in their lives. This proposal supports the development of a community center that provides both beneficial and healthy activities and programs for at-risk youth and fosters an environment where mentoring and positive role-modeling can flourish. Mentoring-based community centers are active in cities around the country, and have displayed a proven track record of success. Such centers require a variety of resources, both in terms of financial considerations and in the investment of human capital. The Department of Children and families should examine the possibility of developing such a center as a means of directing its resources in a manner that will benefit not just at-risk youth, but entire communities, with dividends that will pay off now and in the future.

Executive Summary

Everyone from national organizations to individual community-based organizations have determined that mentoring and the availability of positive role models are invaluable resources for at-risk youth and for juvenile offenders who are endeavoring to re-enter society. Statistical evidence demonstrates that mentoring programs are well-regarded not just by officials in the criminal justice system, but also by mentors and mentees themselves. One of the challenges involved in affording access to mentoring for at-risk youth is the necessity of bringing mentors and mentees together. This paper proposes that the Department of Children and Families should provide funding and resources for the development of community center-based programs that offer at-risk youth safe, healthy recreational environments that also serve to bring mentors and mentees together. The benefits of such a program would not only serve the interests of those directly involved in the program, but would benefit society as a whole by helping to alleviate criminal activity among at-risk youth and by reducing the recidivism rate for those already involved in the criminal justice system.

Introduction

Although crime statistics in recent years actually show a decline in the rates of some serious crimes, a significant number of juveniles end up incarcerated; in some instances, statistics show that the rate at which juveniles are incarcerated is growing disproportionately to the statistical fall in crime rates. (Criminal Justice Degree.net, 2012) Countless organizations in the field of criminal justice have determined that mentoring programs have a beneficial effect both in terms of helping at-risk youth avoid criminal activity and incarceration and in reducing the rate of recidivism for juvenile offenders who have been released from periods of incarceration. It is clear that the benefits of mentoring programs are significant, and the Department of Children and Families is in a strong position to develop programs that foster mentoring relationships between adults and at-risk youth. By providing a community center where these mentoring relationships can be cultivated, DCF can oversee these programs as well as offering an array of other services and activities that can combine to help at-risk youth avoid getting caught up in the criminal justice system and can help lower recidivism in those who have already been convicted of crimes.

Methodology

In order to demonstrate the value of and need for community centers that focus on cultivating mentoring and provide positive activities for at-risk youth, a combination of quantitative and qualitative evidence and information will be examined. Statistics about relevant factors, such as recidivism rates for juvenile offenders who have been afforded access to mentoring programs will be discussed; along with this quantitative evidence, a portion of this paper will examine several mentoring programs based in community center formats to shed light on how the concept of mentoring is manifested in a real-world context.

Findings

JUMP

In 1992, the U.S. Congress established the Juvenile Mentoring Program (JUMP) in an effort to coordinate mentoring opportunities on a national level, and to provide resources and gather statistics and information about the benefits and outcomes of such programs. In 1998 the administrators and supervisors of JUMP provided a report to Congress about the success of the program. From the report’s introduction:

A positive bond between a developing child and a nurturing adult pays rich dividends that can last a lifetime. With the growing erosion of family life and heavy demands on overburdened support systems, this attachment is increasingly problematic. When a child’s family is unable or unwilling to provide adequate supervision and support, a mentor can help fill this critical gap. The knowledge gained from the national and local JUMP evaluations should strengthen mentoring activities and enhance such beneficial results as reducing juvenile delinquency and gang participation, improving academic performance, and reducing the school dropout rate. The initial findings contained in this report to Congress give reason to expect these positive outcomes. (Bilchik, 1998)

JUMP provides funding for community-based programs around the country, and offers the following general guidelines to potential recipients of JUMP funding to ensure compliance and continuity among these various organizations:

• clearly defined collaborative relationships between community-based providers and local education agencies (LEA) with a focus on the goals of improving school performance, reducing school dropout rates, and reducing juvenile delinquency;
• thorough background checks for all volunteer mentors to establish a safe environment for each child;
• careful assessments of youth so appropriate matches that maximize opportunities for success are established;
• mentor and project activities designed to enrich and enhance youth opportunities and experiences; and
• procedures for gathering and routinely reporting programmatic data to support both internal self-evaluations and a national JUMP evaluation. (Bilchik, 1998)

According to the JUMP report, the program allows the community-based organizations a certain amount of leeway in developing their own programs and other initiatives, recognizing that these organizations are best suited to determine the specific needs of their own communities.

Beyond the general guidelines above, JUMP has set forth more specific guidelines for those organizations that wish to receive grants and funding opportunities from the national organization. As the report states:

To be considered eligible for a JUMP grant, organizations must have identified:

• a community need,
• a Local Educational Agency (LEA) with whom they will partner if they are not such an organization themselves,
• a plan for recruiting, screening, training, supervising, and retaining volunteer mentors,
• the defined at-risk youth population they are planning to serve,
• procedures for ensuring appropriate matches between youth and mentors,
• clear guidelines for the frequency, duration, and nature of the mentor/youth meetings,
• a plan for project implementation, and
• procedures for monitoring their own progress toward project goals.

(Bilchik, 1998)

The following chart demonstrates the geographical distribution of JUMP funding:

(Bilchik, 1998)

The following list highlights some of the specific programs and goals on which mentors and their protégées work together within the context of community-based organizations:

• delinquency prevention
• improved school performance
• increased school attendance
• violence prevention
• prevention of gang involvement
• career development
• goal planning
• anger management
• prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use
• development of independent living skills

(Bilchik, 1998)

Exhibit 6:2 Perceptions of Benefits Received

Youth Perception of Benefit                                               Mentor Perception of Benefit

(Bilchik, 1998)

The preceding chart demonstrates that, overall, the youthful respondents reported slightly higher positive reactions to the questions about the benefits of the mentor program. Despite the disparities, it is clear that the majority of both sides of the mentor/mentee relationship see mentoring as beneficial.

The Mentoring Center of Oakland, CA

The Mentoring Center in Oakland, California is an example of the type of organization that works with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), which currently oversees JUMP and other programs intended to serve at-risk youth. The Mentoring Center works to foster positive and beneficial mentoring relationships by providing a variety of programs and activities for mentors and mentees. (The Mentoring Center of Oakland, CA, 2011)

The Mentoring Center focuses on the idea of “Transformational Mentoring,” which is described as an “intentional” approach to the mentor/mentee relationship. By offering programs such as Anger Management, Employability, Life Skills, and Spiritual Development, the Mentoring Center aims to assist at-risk youth with proactively moving towards a successful life and away from dangerous and detrimental activities such as involvement in gangs and other criminal activity. (The Mentoring Center of Oakland, CA, 2011)

The Mentoring Center also offers educational assistance, employment training, assistance with job placement and housing, and access to transportation. The programs offered by the Mentoring Center are provided in the context of the mentor/mentee relationship, wherein the mentor provides guidance, emotional support, and feedback as the mentee moves through the process of “transformation.” (The Mentoring Center of Oakland, CA, 2011)

The Mentoring Center works with mentees both at the in-house level and in the larger community. Mentors and mentees meet at the Center to work on some individual programs, while other programs involve the mentor and mentee interacting in locations in the community, such as schools, educational and vocational facilities, and various other training and support contexts.

Analysis

The available evidence makes it clear that mentoring provides a host of benefits for at-risk youth. The OJJDP places significant emphasis on the role of mentoring in helping at-risk youth avoid getting caught up in the criminal justice system, while also helping to lower the rates of recidivism for formerly-convicted or incarcerated juveniles. Mentoring is not just about facilitating friendships between mentors and mentees; the overarching purpose of effective mentoring is to provide the benefits of positive role models in conjunction with proactive efforts to assist the mentee in acquiring beneficial life skills that will help to underpin long-term success and the ability to avoid falling prey to detrimental behaviors and choices. (Bouffard, July 2008)

Conclusion

The purpose of this proposal is to suggest that DCF should take a bold step in the field of mentoring by focusing on the development of a community-center style facility devoted to cultivating mentor/mentee relationships. While many communities provide parks, sports facilities, and community centers of various types, they do not necessarily take proactive steps to foster the development of mentor/mentee relationships. That is the bold step that DCF could take to advance the cause of mentorship: providing an attractive and interesting environment for at-risk youth that would function as an outreach program to bring such youth together with mentors. Rather than wait until at-risk youth have entered the criminal justice system before bringing them together with mentors, a community center-based facility could help to identify and assist these youth before they enter the system.

References

Bilchik, Shay, Administrator. Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Juvenile mentoring program: 1998 report to Congress. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/952872.pdf

Bouffard, Jeffrey A.; Bergseth, Kathleen J. The impact of reentry services on juvenile offenders’ recidivism. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice. 6(3). July 2008.

Criminal Justice Degree.net. (2012). Juvenile Crime Stats. Retrieved August 2012, from Juvenile Justice Degree: http://www.criminaljusticedegree.net/resources/juvenile-crime-stats/

The Mentoring Center of Oakland, CA. 2011.  http://www.mentor.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=30