New entry
Through collaborative programming with schools and other community-based organizations such as Louis D Brown Peace Institute, Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, and Mass Mentoring Partnership, we provide educational, social, health services, and mentoring opportunities to enhance the academic performance, social, and community connections, and career options of the youth.
About You
About You
First Name
Samuel
Last Name
Rodrigues
Website
Organization
M.Y H.O.O.D Mentoring Youth HOld Onto Obtaining Dreams, Inc.
Country
United States, MA, Suffolk County
About Your Organization
Organization Name
M.Y H.O.O.D Mentoring Youth Hold Onto Obtaining Dreams, Inc.
Organization Website
Organization Phone
857-284-2850
Organization Address
19 Hillsboro Street, Boston, MA 02125
Organization Country
United States, MA, Suffolk County
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Your idea
Name Your Project
New entry
Country your work focuses on
United States, MA, Suffolk County
Describe Your Idea
Through collaborative programming with schools and other community-based organizations such as Louis D Brown Peace Institute, Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, and Mass Mentoring Partnership, we provide educational, social, health services, and mentoring opportunities to enhance the academic performance, social, and community connections, and career options of the youth.
Website URL
Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
While important work is going in this sector,
M.Y H.O.O.D wants to provide a hand on approach that will reach out to youth and provide support 24 hours a day, seven days a week by internet usage
(E-mentoring), which will differentiate our program from any other programs available.
Youth social affairs have increasingly come to be seen as a public-health problem through the globe. According to Fairfax Mentoring Partnership, in the US today, 17.6 million youngsters -- nearly half the youth population -- want or need mentors to help them reach their full potential. In addition to providing waiting list information, the research also shows various youth classes in need of mentors such as the following:
The top three populations in need:
1. Youth with academic difficulties
2. Youth from low-income families
3. Youth with low self-esteem or social skills
Our mentoring program will introduce a mentor into a child’s life which will have a powerful impact, preventing drug abuse, and youth violence while greatly enhancing a young person’s prospects for leading a fulfilling and productive life. Our unique mentoring curriculum teaches self awareness, conflict resolution and anger management, health issues, parent and youth relationships dynamics and encourages computer literacy. In addition to pairing compatible mentor with mentee.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
No
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
Research has shown that introducing a mentor into a child’s life can have a powerful impact, preventing drug abuse and youth violence while greatly enhancing a young person’s prospects for leading a fulfilling and productive life. A study conducted by Public/Private Ventures that measured the impact of mentoring found that child with mentors:
• Were 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
• Were 27% less likely to begin using alcohol
• Were 53% less likely to skip school
• Were 33% less likely to engage in school violence
• Had improved school attendance and performance, and better attitudes toward completing schoolwork
• Had improved peer and family relationships and self-reliance
Since April of 2009, M.Y H.O.O.D Mentoring Youth Hold Onto Obtaining Dreams, Inc. has provided its time and resources to help enrich the lives of more than 50 youth between the ages of 10 and 19. This past year, M.Y H.O.O.D has enhanced the lives of our mentees through forum discussions, interactive lectures, and field trips such as hiking, playing tennis, visiting museums, and serving the community, to name a few.
Problem
Unfortunately, many adolescents never manage to form connections with caring adults. This is not surprising, given that traditional sources of intergenerational contact--extended families, schools, and neighborhoods--have changed in ways that have dramatically reduced the availability of caring adults (Scales & Leffert, 1999). Nearly a quarter of all American children are born into single-parent homes, and half of the current generation of children will live in a single-parent household during some part of their childhood (Dryfoos, 1998). Cuts in school budgets have resulted in even fewer adults per child, and declining neighborhood safety has led to social isolation and restricted opportunities for intergenerational contact (Lerner, et al., 2000). At the same time, changing economic, social, and cultural conditions have sharply increased adolescents' vulnerability to negative life outcomes (Dryfoos, 1998). In the United States, youth are increasingly involved with illegal drugs, under-age alcohol consummation, violence, suicide, and poor school attendance and performance, if attending at all.
Actions
A study conducted by Public/Private Ventures that measured the impact of mentoring found that child with mentors:
• Were 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
• Were 27% less likely to begin using alcohol
• Were 53% less likely to skip school
• Were 33% less likely to engage in school violence
• Had improved school attendance and performance, and better attitudes toward completing schoolwork
• Had improved peer and family relationships and self-reliance
Results
Since April of 2009, M.Y H.O.O.D Mentoring Youth Hold Onto Obtaining Dreams, Inc. has provided its time and resources to help enrich the lives of more than 40 youth between the ages of 10 and 19. This past year, M.Y H.O.O.D has enhanced the lives of our mentees through forum discussions, interactive lectures, and field trips such as hiking, playing tennis, visiting museums, and serving the community, to name a few.
Since April of 2009, M.Y H.O.O.D Mentoring Youth Hold Onto Obtaining Dreams, Inc. has provided its time and resources to help enrich the lives of more than 50 youth between the ages of 10 and 19. This past year, M.Y H.O.O.D has enhanced the lives of our mentees through forum discussions, interactive lectures, and field trips such as hiking, playing tennis, visiting museums, and serving the community, to name a few.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
While the methodology of this project is rather sophisticated, the main goal is simple: to eliminate cycle of self- destruction amongst youth by empowering them with educational tools. M.Y H.O.O.D will have begun to accomplish that goal through a pilot project in Greater Boston, Massachusetts and expanding throughout Massachusetts should our evaluation after three years warrant such an expansion. Currently our organization is reaching out to several organizations doing work in Massachusetts. Achieving the goal in the pilot will require continuous recruitment, fundraising/ events in all area specified, training for mentors, and volunteers.
As such, an annual recruitment plan will be developed and include recruitment goals, strategies to achieve those goals, an annual timeline, and budgetary implications. This plan will be kept current with any ongoing adjustments. Additionally, a detailed Quarterly Recruitment Activity Plan will outline specific tasks and activities. Performance outcomes for the initiative will include the examination of variables impacting youth in Massachusetts. In the assessment of youth, such variables will include comparative analyses of 1) completion of the program, 2) performance in school (grades), 3) high school graduation ratio, 4) college enrollment ratios, 5) employment, 6) family dynamics (reconnection with children), and 7) professional development (career choices).
What would prevent your project from being a success?
Our project would fail if the following does not take place:
continuous recruitment, fundraising/events in all area specified, training for mentors, and volunteers.
How many people will your project serve annually?
101‐1000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
$100 ‐ 1000
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Yes
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
Operating for 1‐5 years
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Yes
If yes, provide organization name.
Louis D Brown Peace Institute, Mass Mentoring Partnership
How long has this organization been operating?
1‐5 years
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Yes
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Yes
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
Yes
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with government?
No
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
Through collaborative programming with schools and other community-based organizations such as Louis D Brown Peace Institute, and Mass Mentoring Partnership, we provide educational, social, health services, and mentoring opportunities to enhance the academic performance, social, and community connections, and career options of the youth.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
Achieving the goal in the pilot will require continuous fundraising/events in all area specified, recruiting and training mentors, and volunteers, getting community organizations involved such as schools.
The Story
What was the defining moment that you led to this innovation?
It is no secret that there is a dire need for clearly identifiable community leaders within communities in Massachusetts’ metropolitan cities. More and more news reports give us news of the incredible odds that minority/immigrant youth face to succeed in an ever more difficult time and under increasingly challenging circumstances. But we refuse to accept the status quo and are steadfast in their continued efforts to make a difference in the lives of our young ones. The group came together in September, 2008, after having identified a need for more community based educational and recreational structured activities led by individuals who seek to cultivate strong positive values, moral responsibility and determination to succeed among the youth.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
Unfortunately, many adolescents never manage to form connections with caring adults. This is not surprising, given that traditional sources of intergenerational contact--extended families, schools, and neighborhoods--have changed in ways that have dramatically reduced the availability of caring adults (Scales & Leffert, 1999). Nearly a quarter of all American children are born into single-parent homes, and half of the current generation of children will live in a single-parent household during some part of their childhood (Dryfoos, 1998). Cuts in school budgets have resulted in even fewer adults per child, and declining neighborhood safety has led to social isolation and restricted opportunities for intergenerational contact (Lerner, et al., 2000). At the same time, changing economic, social, and cultural conditions have sharply increased adolescents' vulnerability to negative life outcomes (Dryfoos, 1998). In the United States, youth are increasingly involved with illegal drugs, under-age alcohol consummation, violence, suicide, and poor school attendance and performance, if attending at all.
For example, Juvenile crime is a large proportion of total crimes. Juveniles are arrested for one-in-six violent crimes and over one-quarter of all property crimes (NCJJ 2008). Youth also commit crimes in school: 25 % and 8 % of teachers report some form of victimization over a school year (Dinkes et al. 2007). In similar fashion, substance abuse and addiction is highly prevalent, imposing significant costs on the health care system and the justice system, as well as adversely affecting families (ONDCP, 2004).
Research has shown that introducing a mentor into a child’s life can have a powerful impact, preventing drug abuse and youth violence while greatly enhancing a young person’s prospects for leading a fulfilling and productive life. A study conducted by Public/Private Ventures that measured the impact of mentoring found that child with mentors:
• Were 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
• Were 27% less likely to begin using alcohol
• Were 53% less likely to skip school
• Were 33% less likely to engage in school violence
• Had improved school attendance and performance, and better attitudes toward completing schoolwork
• Had improved peer and family relationships and self-reliance
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Email from Changemakers
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
 | 100 weeks agoSamuel Rodrigues updated this Competition Entry. |
| 100 weeks agoSamuel Rodrigues submitted this idea. |
