The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has given over $956 million to mentoring programs from 2008 to 2019. This federal agency invests in mentoring because research shows it helps prevent youth crime, improves school performance, and supports kids with serious needs like mental health challenges. OJJDP works to create more mentoring opportunities and make them better quality.
They fund many different types of programs, including help for children whose parents are in jail, young parents, and victims of trafficking. The agency also supports research to learn what works best in mentoring. They have a National Mentoring Resource Center that provides tools and training for mentoring programs across the country.
OJJDP partners with other agencies, programs, and researchers to make sure mentoring reaches kids who need it most, especially those who are at-risk or underserved. The agency focuses on using proven methods and continues to study new approaches to help more young people succeed through mentoring relationships.