Strengthening Youth Mentoring through Community Partnerships; a school and community based initiative matching adults with at-risk youth focusing on gang involvement, drug use and academic failure

The Rice, Dakota and Goodhue Counties Independent School District proposes a partnership among Northfield Public Schools; Community Services Division and the Northfield Mentoring Coalition, Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota (MPM); Northfield Police Department; Healthy Community Initiative (HCI); Rice County Chemical Health Coalition; and 14 other agencies to expand the Connected Kids mentoring program. The goal of the program is to reduce gang involvement, substance use/abuse, and academic failure. The project plans include, not only retaining the 70 students (grades 4-8) currently involved in mentoring services, but adding 80 students from grades 1 ' 3, and grades 9 ' 11, all at risk of drug abuse, gang involvement and academic failure. Mentors and mentees will meet at least once or twice a week throughout the project period. In addition, there will be monthly educational field trips, programs sponsored and staffed by the Northfield Police, community service and beautification projects, all designed to connect the youth to their school and to their community. It is anticipated that 50 percent of mentored children who have been served for 12 months will report feeling closer to their school and an increased sense of belonging to their community. CA/NCF