Project avary is a non-profit organization that provides mentoring services to children with incarcerated parents

This $1,000,000 Project Grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention under the Juvenile Mentoring Program (CFDA 16.726) to support Project Avary, a non-profit organization in the San Francisco Bay Area. The funding will allow Project Avary to expand its evidence-based Avary Way mentoring model to serve an additional 300 children with incarcerated parents in communities on the outer edges of the Bay Area. Project Avary's programs provide 10 years of mentoring, leadership development, and trauma-informed support services to youth ages 8-18, drawing from a pool of over 350 mentors who are themselves alumni of the program. The organization aims to break generational cycles of incarceration by helping participants build self-confidence, resilience, and healthy relationships, with over 94% of alumni avoiding involvement in the criminal justice system.

Project avary proposes to expand their avary way mentoring model: a framework for full-circle youth leadership development from their service area in SAN francisco, oakland and richmond to a new jurisdiction that reaches communities on the outer edges of the SAN francisco BAY area, including the cities of santa rosa, novato, petaluma, antioch, brentwood, concord, martinez, vallejo, pittsburg, vacaville, and davis. Because of the rising housing costs, poorer families have been displaced to these communities, which lack the resources and support that they need. The purpose of this program is to provide multifaceted, evidence-based, and trauma-informed practices to support children of incarcerated parents with mentoring and the life and leadership skills needed to break generational cycles of incarceration. Project avary intervenes early in the life of a child, between age 8-10, and makes a long-term, 10-year commitment serving children until the age of 18. After graduation, many youth remain involved as adult mentors and staff. Over 90% of project avarys adult mentors are children of incarcerated parents and over 80% are program alumni. 100% of peer mentors are project avary teen participants called junior counselors. Project avarys programs have a meaningful impact on the well-being of their participants by providing them with a sense of community and belonging, as well as resources for emotional healing and growth. The organizations mentoring program helps to build healthy relationships and role models for the participants, while summer camp, retreats and outings provide a safe and supportive group mentoring environment for them to build friendships and develop leadership skills. Through these programs, project avary has seen substantive improvements in self-confidence and resilience, as well as a reduced sense of isolation. Additionally, 94% of project avary alumni have remained uninvolved with the criminal justice system. Primary activities and expected outcomes include: 300 youth will receive mentoring services. Annually, youth will engage in a robust offering of group and peer mentoring activities including: adventure day outings, afterschool online support groups, retreats and summer camp. Youth will also receive weekly one-on-one mentoring. Throughout a youth's participation in project avary, caregivers will be supported with peer and group mentoring through the family unity program, which includes support groups, family camp, the summer BBQ, and holiday party. Three hundred fifty mentors will be recruited ormaintained. There are no subrecipients.