WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Office of Justice Program's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) announced today the launch of the National Mentoring Resource Center. OJJDP established the Center to support effective youth mentoring programs and healthy youth development.
The National Mentoring Resource Center has three components: an interactive website, no-cost specialized technical assistance for mentoring programs, and the National Mentoring Resource Center Research Board. The website features resources for the youth mentoring field, including a "What Works in Mentoring" section; targeted program and training materials and a portal providing access to technical assistance. The resources and technical assistance are in alignment with the national standards for high quality, evidence-based mentoring, as outlined in The Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring (TM). Additional information is available at: www.nationalmentoringresourcecenter.org.
The Research Board, chaired by Dr. David DuBois of the University of Illinois at Chicago, consists of prominent experts in youth mentoring practice areas such as program models, settings for implementation and outcomes for specific populations.
"When done purposefully and according to evidence-based standards, mentoring can produce tremendously positive outcomes for young people and keep them from becoming involved in the juvenile justice system," said OJJDP Administrator Robert L. Listenbee. "The National Mentoring Resource Center gives us the tools and resources to help mentoring programs meet national standards for quality while we build ground-level capacity to connect more young people with mentors."
OJJDP selected MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership to establish the Center through a competitive application process. For 25 years, MENTOR has developed and distributed research, standards, tools, and training to ensure mentoring is safe and effective. MENTOR has also built a network of affiliate Mentoring Partnerships to provide on-the-ground consulting to mentoring programs and advance quality mentoring through the development and delivery of standards, cutting-edge research and state-of-the-art tools.
"We're privileged to leverage the combined expertise of MENTOR, our affiliate Mentoring Partnerships and leading researchers in the field to build on OJJDP's investments supporting young people's development and achievements," said MENTOR CEO David Shapiro.
About OJJDP
OJJDP provides national leadership, coordination and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. OJJDP supports states and communities in their efforts to develop and implement effective and coordinated prevention and intervention programs and to improve the juvenile justice system so that it protects public safety, holds offenders accountable and provides treatment and rehabilitative services tailored to the needs of juveniles and their families. Additional information about OJJDP is available at www.ojjdp.gov.
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist victims. OJP has six components: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking. For more information about OJP, please visit http://www.ojp.gov.
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SOURCE Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs
