MANY, a national network designed to strengthen outcomes for youth and young adults at highest risk for victimization and/or delinquency has been awarded $3,000,000 over three years to help local organizations fill the mentoring gap that exists nationally.
“Thanks to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, MANY’s Mentoring+ sites will be able to expand services to thousands of youth currently on waiting lists in agency programs in as many as 16 states,” said Megan Blondin, Executive Director of MANY.
Recent data demonstrates juvenile delinquency impacts significant numbers of youth and communities each year with nearly 1.4 million delinquency cases being heard in juvenile courts in a year’s time (U.S. Department of Justice, 2014). The cost to confine youth negatively impacts communities and, more importantly, involvement in the juvenile delinquency system has profoundly negative and long-term impacts on the youth themselves.
“Mentoring changes a youth’s susceptibility to individual, social, and environmental risk factors that are linked with delinquency,” said Blondin. “In other words, these programs support the development of a buffering layer between youth and the risk factors they are experiencing on a daily basis. The results Mentoring+ sites are seeing is less than 1% of youth offend or re-offend, 99% maintain enrollment in school, and 89% demonstrate increased social competence.”
“On behalf of our entire MANY network and the more than 500,000 youth and families served by our members, we would like to thank the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of Justice Programs for their support in achieving REAL changes in the lives of youth, young adults, and their families, and to Senator Casey, Senator Toomey and their colleagues for recognizing the essential impact of our coordinated efforts”
About MANY
MANY is the only national network of it’s kind, engaging stake holders across sectors to strengthen outcomes for youth and young adults at highest risk for victimization and/or delinquency. Annually, we connect with over 10,000 nonprofit providers, funders, and researchers – providing intensive training and supports to about 3,000 of these organizations. We attract innovators in the field and have over 150 members across 49 states who we engage with to unearth innovation, cultivate evidence, and educate the field.