Search This Blog

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

People of Faith Mentoring Children of Promise: A Model Partnership Based on Service and Community


This manual is designed as a guide for those who have chosen to take the incarceration of a child’s parent as a point of intervention, with mentoring as a vehicle. The document uses the Amachi program as a model to show how faith-based organizations, secular nonprofits, and public organizations can work together to provide caring and trusting relationships for these children. The first section outlines the need, highlighting the distressing statistics (an estimated 1.5 to 2 million have at least one parent in prison) and the traumatic and lasting effect on a child’s life when his or her parent is incarcerated. “An Answer” describes responsible mentoring and how it can benefit the children, the mentors, and the entire community. The remainder of the document reviews the Amachi model, taking the reader step-by-step through planning the effort; recruiting the participants (religious leaders, mentors, parents, children, and caregivers); implementing the program; and monitoring the program and evaluating the results. Resources include helpful organizations and publications. Forms used in the Amachi program appear in the appendices.

No comments: