Grants for national, State, and local programs

Title II of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5611 et seq.) is amended by inserting after part F the following:

Mentoring

299K.

Purposes

The purposes of this part are— (1)to reduce juvenile delinquency and gang participation; (2)to improve academic performance; and (3)to provide general guidance and promote personal and social responsibility,

through the use of mentors for at-risk youth.

299L.

Definitions

For purposes of this part— (1)the term at-risk youth means an individual less than 18 years of age at risk of educational failure or dropping out of school or involvement in delinquent activities; (2)the term mentor means a responsible adult who is linked with at-risk youth in consistent contact, either as a one-to-one mentor or in small group mentoring, establishing supportive relationships with youth and providing youth with exposure to new experiences that enhance the ability of at-risk youth to become responsible citizens; (3)the term one-to-one mentor means a responsible adult who is linked with an at-risk youth on a one-to-one volunteer basis, establishing a supportive relationship with the youth and providing the youth with exposure to new experiences that enhance the youth's ability to become a responsible citizen; and (4)the term small group mentoring means one adult mentor forming a relationship with a small group of youths. The mentor assumes the role of leader and makes a commitment to meet regularly with the group over an extensive period of time in a predetermined facility.

299M.

Grants

The Administrator shall, by making grants to and entering into contracts with national, regional, and local nonprofit organizations, establish and support programs and activities for the purpose of implementing mentoring programs that— (1)are designed to link at-risk children, particularly children living in high crime areas and children experiencing educational failure, with responsible adults; and (2)are intended to achieve one or more of the following goals: (A)Provide general guidance to at-risk youth. (B)Promote personal and social responsibility among at-risk youth. (C)Increase at-risk youth's participation in and enhance their ability to benefit from elementary and secondary education. (D)Discourage at-risk youth's use of illegal drugs, violence, and dangerous weapons, and other criminal activity. (E)Discourage involvement of at-risk youth in gangs. (F)Encourage at-risk youth's participation in community service and community activities.

299N.

Regulations and guidelines

The Administrator shall develop and distribute to program participants specific model guidelines for the screening of prospective program mentors.

299O.

Use of grants

(a)

Permitted uses

Grants awarded pursuant to this part shall be used to implement mentoring programs, including— (1)hiring of mentoring coordinators and support staff; (2)recruitment, screening, and training of adult mentors; (3)reimbursement of mentors for reasonable incidental expenditures such as transportation that are directly associated with mentoring; (4)training of mentoring program staff in effective practices; and (5)such other purposes as the Administrator may reasonably prescribe by regulation. (b)

Additional permitted uses for national grants

In addition to the uses set forth in subsection (a), national grants awarded pursuant to this part may be used to implement and improve mentoring programs, including— (1)the establishment and implementation of quality assurance services, including best practices for the screening of mentors and supervision of mentoring relationships; (2)the establishment and implementation of child safety standards; (3)the establishment and implementation of information technology systems to track the effectiveness of program models; and (4)research evaluations to inform best practices. (c)

Prohibited uses

Grants awarded pursuant to this part shall not be used— (1)to support litigation of any kind; or (2)for any other purpose reasonably prohibited by the Administrator by regulation.

299P.

Considerations

(a)

In general

In making grants under this part, the Administrator shall give priority for awarding grants to applicants that— (1)serve at-risk youth in high crime areas; (2)have 60 percent or more of their youth eligible to receive funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. et seq.); (3)establish and support mentoring programs that serve at-risk youth in public housing sites or on Native American lands; and (4)serve at-risk youth with a parent in the military, including a deployed parent. (b)

Other considerations

In making grants under this part, the Administrator shall give consideration to— (1)the quality of a mentoring plan, including— (A)the resources, if any, that will be dedicated to providing participating youth with opportunities for job training or postsecondary education; and (B)the degree to which there is appropriate coordination with the local community to ensure the mentoring plan will continue to be implemented once the grant is discontinued; and (2)the capability of the applicant to effectively implement the mentoring plan.

299Q.

Applications

An application for assistance under this part shall include— (1)information on the youth expected to be served by the program; (2)a provision for a mechanism for matching youth with mentors based on the needs of the youth; (3)an assurance that projects will be monitored to ensure that each youth benefits from a mentor relationship, with provision for a new mentor assignment if the relationship is not beneficial to the youth; (4)the method by which mentors and youth will be recruited to the project; (5)the method by which prospective mentors will be screened; (6)the training that will be provided to mentors; and (7)the method by which outcomes for youth will be measured and the strength of the mentoring relationship monitored.