Vision and Mission: All children can succeed with the support and guidance of a caring adult. Our mission is to inspire children who are ages 4 -18 years old and have an incarcerated parent by matching them with caring, screened, and trained volunteer mentors. Friends For Life collaborates with a network of community and faith-based organizations, and other stakeholders to annually provide mentors for at least 300 of a combined 2,500 affected youths residing in Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Hall, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, and Walton County.

Friends for Life is sponsored by the Institute for Community and Organizational Development, Inc. and is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . Co-sponsors include over 20 faith-based organizations and agencies that include the Athens Housing Authority, Boys and Girls Clubs, Clarke County School District, GA Department of Corrections, GA Department of Family and Children Services,  Family Connection Partnership, University of Georgia, and others.

How Friends For Life operates: Conceptually, this initiative incorporates Positive Youth Development, which is an asset-based approach that focuses on building upon strengths of youth rather than their problems in order to help them avoid risky behaviors and achieve their full potential. Friends For Life supports a network of sustainable mentoring programs managed by Program Managers.  These staffers promote each program, identify eligible youths, make child and family needs assessments, conduct volunteer recruitment and training, make mentor/child matches as well as coordinate, monitor and document all local activities. A regional Advisory Board comprised of youth, family members, and other stakeholders help guide the project’s development

Program Activities: The curriculum includes Adolescent Development, Asset Approach, Family and Community Involvement, Program Development, Leadership, Post-secondary Preparation, Life Skills Planning, Cultural Enrichment, and Entrepreneurship. Individual Development Plans, prepared by participants and caretakers, are used to help align resources with youth and family needs. Activities include assistance with school expenses,  in-school visitations, visitations with incarcerated parents, one-to-one Mentor-Child matches, a six-week Summer Academic-Work Experience program, academic support services and Quarterly Retreats involving youths, caretakers and Mentors.

Training and Development Services:  Training incorporates best practices in Mentoring and Youth Development in order to provide (a) Mentor training for volunteers, (b) training for caregivers including parents, grandparents and guardians;  and (c) a Train-the-Trainer series and technical assistance to help stakeholder organizations establish sustainable Mentoring Programs.

Anticipated Outcomes: The anticipated outcomes are (1) the establishment of a viable self-sustaining mentoring support network, (2) increased competency among mentors to counsel youth toward positive outcomes, and (3) increased healthy choices among children of incarcerated parents.

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