Aspiring Mentoring Program Meets Goal for National Grant

Partners in Prevention’s Aspire Mentoring Program (AMP) made 100 mentor and mentee matches over the past two-and-a-half years, fulfilling requirements for the Mentoring + grant. AMP was one of only two organizations in Texas selected for this past grant cycle, which ended Aug. 31.

Youth Collaboratory in Pittsburgh, PA, received the initial award from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Youth Collaboratory selected 13 mentoring sites across the U.S., including AMP.

“Being selected from a national pool of candidates is a great honor and speaks to the strength of our program,” Partners in Prevention Manager Holly Fuller said. “Reaching the goal of 100 matches is a big accomplishment that took perseverance. Through this grant, we expanded our mentoring program and provided opportunities to engage family involvement at a greater level."

“We have seen more connectivity between mentors, mentees, and the mentees’ families while establishing common goals for the young person,” she added.

AMP staff recruits, screens, trains and offers on-going support to adults who volunteer to mentor youth. Matches are made between mentors and mentees based on interests, personality traits, location and a range of other factors.

Not all matches are financially supported through the Mentoring + grant. 

“The community and other grant sources help support additional matches, for which we are thankful,” Fuller said.

“We are very intentional about making and supporting strong, compatible matches,” said Stephanie Adams, AMP administrator. “We never just match warm body-to-warm body. That’s another reason why meeting this ambitious goal of 100 matches is so exciting.”

Chantelle Johnson, an experienced mentor and member of AMP’s Mentoring Advisory Council, was thrilled that she and her newest mentee were the 100th match.

“It was such an amazing feeling when I got the news that we were the magic number, the golden 100,” Johnson said. “Being a mentor is an honor. It is a humbling experience, to be able to show compassion and to have a close relationship with someone other than your family members.”