Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Receives $11.75M in Funds from Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

The grants will focus on mentoring programs to guide youth from involvement in substance abuse and in the juvenile justice system.

TAMPA, FL, UNITED STATES, October 21, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has awarded Big Brothers Big Sisters of America two grants totaling $11.75 million to continue the national non-profit’s evidence-based one-to-one mentoring program.

The first grant is the Mentoring Opportunities for Youth Initiative; the second is the OJJDP Statewide and Regional Mentoring Initiative for Youth Impacted by Opioids (MYIO). The investment in these two critical programs will mean that youth in communities across the country will be matched with caring adult mentors, through more than 90 Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies. Funding is important, as the need for mentoring services is needed now more than in ever with youth facing challenges and isolation due to the pandemic.

When comparing Big Brothers Big Sisters Risk and Protective Inventory (RPI) data to national data, parents who have children enrolled in a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program report that 28% have one or more family members who has a problem with alcoholism or drug use, compared to 8% children nationally.

“We are very appreciative of OJJDP’s continued support,” said Pam Iorio, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. “This increase in funding will make an incredible impact on our agencies and staff who are committed to empowering youth and the communities they serve.”

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

Founded in 1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is the largest and most experienced youth mentoring organization in the United States. The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters’ evidence-based approach is designed to create positive youth outcomes, including educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater confidence, and improved relationships. Big Brothers Big Sisters has 236 local agencies serving more than 5,000 communities across all 50 states. For more information, visit: www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org.

De Anna Ward
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
+1 813-605-7425
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