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Believe in Y.O.U.T.H Mentoring
The Believe in Y.O.U.T.H. (Youth Offenders Utilizing Transitional Services for a Healthy Recovery) Mentoring Program (BIY) is a collaboration between the Cobb County Juvenile Court, Cobb County Department of Juvenile Justice, and Cobb County Community Services Board. The program's purpose is to support the successful and safe transition of juvenile offenders from correctional facilities to their communities as well as to reduce recidivism among juvenile ex-offenders. The mentoring program uses adult volunteers to commit to supporting, guiding, and being a friend to a young person for a period of at least six months in an effort to help them make positive life choices.
Quick Facts:
- Focus of initiative/program:
- Mental Health
- Mentoring
- Substance Abuse
- Re-entry
- Inititative/program name:
- Believe in Y.O.U.T.H.
- Year Established:
- 2009
- Lead agency/organization name:
- Cobb County Community Services Board
- Population served by initiative/program:
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- Returning from local detention facilities
- Returning from local jails
- Returning from prison
- Under community corrections supervision (parole or probation)
- Juveniles
- Men
- Women
Believe in Y.O.U.T.H Mentoring
Contact:
Debbie DuewsonProject Coordinator
Cobb County Community Services Board
1650 County Services Parkway
Marietta, Georgia 30008
dduewson@cobbcsb.com
www.biycobb.org
Believe in Y.O.U.T.H Mentoring
Initiatives and Programs
- Focus of initiative/program:
- Mental Health
- Mentoring
- Substance Abuse
- Re-entry
- Inititative/program name:
- Believe in Y.O.U.T.H.
- Lead agency/organization name:
- Cobb County Community Services Board
- Funding sources for initiative/program:
- Federal Funding
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
Funding
Partners in the reentry initiative/program
| Informal Agreement | Formal Agreement (e.g., a written contract or an MOU) with this partner. |
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| Community- and faith-based services providers: |
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| Education and training providers (e.g., local public school officials, vocational instructors): |
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| Health, mental health, and substance abuse treatment providers: |
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| Institutional corrections (e.g., DOC, jail, prison): |
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| Law enforcement agencies (e.g., police, sheriff's office): |
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| Other criminal justice agencies (e.g., prosecutors, judges): |
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| Transportation providers: |
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Participants
- Population served by initiative/program:
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- Returning from local detention facilities
- Returning from local jails
- Returning from prison
- Under community corrections supervision (parole or probation)
- Juveniles
- Men
- Women
- Total number of people who have participated in initiative/program to date:
- 3
- Total number of people currently participating in initiative/program:
- 3
- Total number of people who can be served at one time:
- 20
- If your initiative/program serves people under community corrections supervision, how does your organization work in partnership or work in collaboration with participants’ probation or parole officers?
- BIY Mentoring is an extension of our Believe in Y.O.U.T.H Initiative, which has been in existence for over 4 years. Because of this history, relationships with juvenile justice staff have been cultivated and well maintained through monthly meetings that serve as opportunities to provide updates on participants.
Data Collection
- Does your organization collect demographic data on participants?
- Yes
- If "yes", what kind of data? And what results has this data yielded?
- age, ethnic identity, gender, of mentees and mentors
- Does your organization collect data about the process of your initiative/program?
- Yes
- If "yes", what kind of data? And what results has this data yielded?
- number of hours spent with mentees type of service category (mental health, substance abuse or both)
- Does your organization measure and/or track the outcome of participation?
- Yes
- If "yes", what kind of data? And what results has this data yielded?
- number of rearrests
Activities
- What, if any, activities does your initiative/program include for people while they are incarcerated and how do these activities differ from those offered to the general population?
- We encourage mentors to meet with youth while still incarcerated to help establish rapport
- What activities does your organization engage in post-release and how do these activities differ from those offered to the general population?
- Mentors and mentees have opportunities to interact as a group after release at agency events. They also interact individually with matches at various places of their choice.
- How are people placed into your program?
- Referral from Probation Officers