Mentoring at Youth Justice Institute
The goal of YJI’s mentoring program is to stabilize youth in crisis by providing positive adult relationships that promote personal growth and development. Additionally, the mentors are better trained and experienced to work with youth in their future professions.
History
The Inside Mentoring Program (IMP) was launched January 2001. At that time, the girls in San Francisco detention centers were isolated due to a lack of family visits and support services. IMP began by employing three female students from San Francisco State University as mentors to girls in the maximum-security unit. The program steadily expanded to youth in other units. In 2002, we began mentoring young men inside the boys’ maximum-security unit. Because of the visible needs of the youth and the early success of our passionate mentors, IMP evolved into a recognized program that became a part of YJI in 2003.
We currently mentor youth in every unit and have over 40 mentors each semester working inside detention halls. YJI mentoring programs are cost-efficient, successful strategies for working with “in risk” system-involved youth that provide individual support and models healthy relationships.