Children of Promise Youth Mentoring Programs
The Children of Promise programs change lives by providing youth with adults who can help them to thrive and envision a positive future for themselves. The mentors and committed staff members help the youth to develop a rich set of assets that help them cope with risk and overcome the personal and external challenges they face in their environment.
The Children of Promise youth programs are guided by a simple principle that all members of any community can stand behind: “It’s our community. They’re our future.” Operated by the 6th Judicial’s nonprofit, Community Corrections Improvement Association, we have an underlying goal of engaging and involving youth to help reduce recidivism and the likelihood of their involvement in the penal system. However, that’s the big picture. Our true hope, the inspiration for every staff member’s work, is that each and every kid deserves and should have trusted adults they can turn to and experiences in their community that make them feel involved, important, and hopeful so that they may be able to achieve their life goals and dreams.
Our vision is a world in which all children feel valued and respected.
All young people have the potential to succeed in life and contribute to society, but many do not get the support they need to thrive. Nearly half of the U.S. population of youth between 10 and 18 years of age live in situations that put them at risk of not living up to their potential. Without intervention by caring adults, they must navigate complex life situations and challenges on their own, leaving them vulnerable to poor decisions that can undermine their futures.
We at Children of Promise believe that we can help kids and youth by increasing the protective factors they have in their lives. By providing youth with caring adults to build relationships with, exposing them to positive community activities, and educating them about healthy life decisions, we believe that we can help to reduce the impact of negative factors like family history of incarceration, and various forms of transition.
The research is clear that to succeed children need positive relationships with caring adults. A good mentor can turn a life around!
Children in quality mentoring programs are less likely to engage in risky behaviors like substance abuse and are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college.
The Community Corrections Improvement Association
The Children of Promise programs are operated by the Community Corrections Improvement Association (CCIA), a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation whose mission is to support community-based corrections with community involvement, acceptance, and financial resources to establish and embrace pro-active programs that break the cycle of crime.
To learn more about the CCIA, please visit their website at http://www.iowacbc.org/ccia/.
