| Current
News
Role Model Program Requirements
Internship Summer 2000 Application Deadline **April 15, '00
|
THE MENTORING PROJECT "Reaching Today’s Youth One At A Time"
In response to the increasing need of role models for juveniles in today’s society, the FSU Juvenile Justice Role Model Program has initiated the FSU Mentoring Project. The FSU Mentoring Project is a mentoring program, which was started to facilitate the important goal of positively impacting the lives of at-risk youth. Juvenile justice literature emphasizes that mentoring has a large impact on the future success of society’s juveniles and helps young people positively alter their lifestyles. Mentoring provides juveniles the opportunity to talk with adults, get answers to important and personal questions, or just have a friend to turn to in the time of need. The FSU Mentoring Project conducts its mentoring activities at the Tallahassee Marine Institute in Tallahassee, Florida. Mentors are required to meet with their mentees at the Marine Institute a minimum of 1 hour per week for a variety of activities including tutoring, counseling, or simply visiting with the mentee. In addition, the Institute permits mentors to take the students off-campus for various activities. The Marine Institute is open from 8am-9pm, M-F and 10am-4pm Sundays and Saturdays through out the year, providing mentors a flexible time period in which to mentor. BENEFITS OF MENTORING According to an evaluation of 8 mentoring programs across the country, it was discovered that when compared to at-risk youth that did not have mentors, at-risk mentored youth were: 27% less likely to drink alcohol 31% less likely to hit someone 36% less likely to skip a class 45 % less likely to use drugs 52% less likely to skip school OJJDP. (1997). Mentoring: A proven delinquency prevention strategy. Mentoring is an important factor in the lives of juveniles, as all children need to have positive and caring adults in their lives. As illustrated in the above statistics, mentors have the capability of impacting the lives of juveniles in a large capacity. PROJECT GOALS The primary goal of the Mentoring Project is to utilize college students as positive role models to adolescents from various ethnic backgrounds to promote academic achievement, improve self-esteem, and prevent delinquent behavior in juveniles. The Mentoring Project anticipates several positive outcomes as a result of the mentoring relationship in the areas of juvenile delinquency, academic achievement, and personal self-esteem and concept. TALLAHASSEE MARINE INSTITUTE The Tallahassee Marine Institute (TMI) is a Level 2, non-residential commitment facility in Tallahassee, Florida that provides aftercare and educational services to juveniles that have been adjudicated in juvenile court. All of the juveniles at TMI are non-violent offenders with offenses ranging from simple assault to car theft. No juveniles at TMI have been convicted of murder, rape, armed robbery, or other violent offenses. The Institute’s philosophy is to encourage lifestyle changes by providing students with positive role models in a caring environment. Students at the Institute are predominantly males and females that range in age from 14 to 18 years of age. The juveniles at the Institute are required to attend for 6 months before they are allowed to return to mainstream schooling or the work force. Having a positive mentor is extremely critical to their future success in society. MENTORS Mentors consist of FSU college students that are enrolled in Juvenile Justice Role Model Program courses. There are 4 Role Model courses that require the students to complete 20 hours of community service working with juveniles during the semester in which they are enrolled in the class. The Mentoring Project provides the opportunity for these students to gain practical experiences interacting and building relationships with juveniles that are in need of assistance. MENTOR EXPECTATIONS AND ACTIVITIES
Students that choose to mentor at the Tallahassee Marine Institute are expected to have a desire to positively impact the lives of juveniles that are in the Institute. Becoming a mentor can be a very enjoyable experience for the mentor but especially for the mentee (juvenile). Mentors have the potential to positively impact juveniles in a variety of ways that will help the juvenile attain long-term success. The goal of mentoring is to develop a positive relationship with the mentee When mentoring at TMI, mentors engage in a variety of activities with their mentees. The basic and most common form of mentoring is simply talking in a one-on-one setting. Other activities include tutoring, playing sports or other recreational activities, and going for walks through out the TMI campus. Once the background check of a mentor has been cleared, the mentor and mentee can go off of the TMI campus for the mentoring time. Activities off the campus include going out to eat, visiting the FSU campus, or participating in various activities such as bowling or mini-golf. Participating in non-formal activities assists in developing the friendship that is necessary in a mentoring relationship. Interested in becoming a FSU Mentor?? If you are enrolled in a FSU Role Model Program Course and would like to become a Mentor, please fill out the FSU Mentoring Project Mentor Application and submit it on-line to the Role Model Program Office. All prospective mentors are required to complete the Tallahassee Marine Institute Application and Background Check form. These forms are not available on-line yet, they need to be picked up at the Tallahassee Marine Institute at 2514 W. Tharpe St. (see Joy Cross) Additionally, each student must obtain a set of their fingerprints to be turned in with the application. Fingerprints can be obtained from the FSU Police Department on Tuesday-Friday, from 1:30pm-3:30pm. The fingerprints are free. If you have any questions, please contact the Role Model Program . |
