University of New England

UNE Mentoring Program and Biddeford Community Receive State Grant

Local children and youth will be the ultimate beneficiaries of a state grant to the University of New England and three other Maine colleges to further develop one-on-one mentoring relationships designed to improve the mentored children's academic abilities, social skills and emotional well-being.

UNE received $10,600 as part of a larger grant from the Maine Justice Assistance Council (MJAC), distributed through the Governor's Children's Cabinets statewide Communities for Children and Youth (C4CY) initiative. Since its inception in 2002, UNE's College Community Mentoring Program (CCMP) has provided UNE students as mentors to nearly 150 local children and youth at four sites. Two additional local mentoring sites are anticipated for 2005-06.

The state grant provides funds for each of the college-community partnerships to create and pilot an innovative pilot training program, generate a valuable assessment report and acquire resource books for each mentoring site to help develop additional programs and activities.

Training Program
The training program will be led by the Search Institute, an independent nonprofit organization based in Minnesota whose mission is to provide leadership, knowledge and resources to promote healthy children, youth and communities. At the heart of the institute's work are a group of "developmental assets," which are positive experiences and personal qualities that young people need to grow up healthy, caring and responsible. The pilot training session will be held this fall at the NYCYMCA's 21Sst Century Community Learning Center (21 Club) in Biddeford. Participants will include the college student mentors, 21 Club staff, school guidance counselors and local professionals involved in mentoring underserved children and youth.

The training program will give the participants a "common language" with which to communicate, but the most important aspect of the program according to UNE sociology professor Samuel McReynolds, Ph.D., is that it can be replicated. "This program can be used in a variety of ways in a variety of settings and agencies to reach youth in need and at risk," McReynolds said.

Assessment
An assessment, in the form of a white-paper report, will be issued next year, sometime in mid-winter. The research is expected to provide useful insights into the best ways to help and support our underserved children and youth through mentoring.

"The impact that mentors from the University of New England have had on the young people in our community is astonishing. These students are truly making a big difference in the lives of many, many children," stated Dr. Don Gnecco, assistant superintendent in the Biddeford School Department.

For more information about UNE's College Community Mentoring Program, visit the CCMP site at www.une.edu/ccmpor contact Lisa Streit, AmeriCorps*VISTA at 283-0171, extension 2294.

(Press release issued June 8, 2005)