This is an archive of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP's) electronic newsletter OJJDP News @ a Glance. The information in this archived resource may be outdated and links may no longer function. Visit our website at https://www.ojjdp.gov for current information.
January | February 2015

OJJDP Co-Hosts National Mentoring Summit

National Mentoring Summit 2015 logo

OJJDP joined with MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and other partners, including the Corporation for National and Community Service, America's Promise Alliance, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America on January 28–30, 2015, to host the annual National Mentoring Summit in Washington, DC.

About 900 professionals attended the summit including practitioners, researchers, corporate leaders, government and civic leaders, and representatives of national youth-serving organizations.

In his opening day remarks, OJJDP Administrator Robert L. Listenbee emphasized the Office’s longstanding commitment to mentoring as a critical component in preventing entry into the juvenile justice system and fostering positive outcomes for youth. “We, at OJJDP, feel that one of the most important jobs we have is to support positive youth development by ensuring America’s youth have the opportunity to connect with dedicated, energetic, and well-trained mentors,” said Mr. Listenbee.

Administrator Listenbee also announced the launch of the National Mentoring Resource Center. The center, established in partnership with MENTOR, provides resource, reference, and training and technical assistance to advance the implementation of evidence- and research-based youth mentoring practices. (See the feature article “OJJDP Unveils National Mentoring Resource Center,” in this issue.)

OJJDP staff led and participated in workshops featuring OJJDP-sponsored research, including Effective Program Practices in Mentoring Programs Serving At-Risk Youth and Mentors as Advocates and Teachers: What the Data Are Telling Us From the Evaluation of OJJDP's Mentoring Enhancement Demonstration Program.

Other youth mentoring experts presented sessions and workshops on a range of topics, including:

January 2015 marked the 13th anniversary of National Mentoring Month, a large-scale public service campaign to recruit mentors and to focus national attention on the importance of individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, and nonprofit organizations working together to ensure positive outcomes for youth.

Resources:

More information about the 2015 National Mentoring Summit is available online.

Visit OJJDP's National Mentoring Resource Center.

To access additional mentoring resources, visit the websites of OJJDP, MENTOR, The Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring, and the National Criminal Justice Reference Service.

Read OJJDP’s research report on mentoring children of incarcerated parents and MENTOR’s survey of youth perspectives on the outcomes and availability of mentoring.