City Mentoring Program Needs Mentors to Work With At-Risk Teens

The journey to rehabilitation for teens involved in the juvenile delinquent court system can be a difficult road to travel.

Starting July 1, at least 20 teens in Falls Church may have guidance through the Respect, Integrity, Self-esteem and Encouragement (RISE) Mentoring Program. The program calls for mentors and mentees to schedule times to meet and participate in positive activities and develop a healthy, positive relationship. The Falls Church City Court Services Units only needs the volunteers to help get this program off the ground.

“Our goal is to have this program see these kids through until they’re 18,” said Earl Conklin, director of Human Services for the city.

The program needs at least 20 volunteers to serve as mentors to the teens. Megan Graham, a juvenile probation counselor with the city, said there are 20 teens (10 through the courts and 10 girls from the Aurora House Girls’ Group Home) ready to be paired with mentors. Teens aged 14-17 will be matched with a mentor who will serve as a role model. Graham said the program is volunteer-based only.

On average, the city’s court system deals with 80 juveniles facing criminal charges, Conklin said. The number includes teens from the city as well as teens from other areas that committed crimes within the city. Most of the teens on probation through the city are males, Conklin said.

With a lack of resources to get through to the teens and have a consistent adult in their lives, Conklin and Graham came up with the mentoring program.

“We came to the conclusion that a mentoring program would help,” Graham said. “It was a void that needed to be filled.”

Though half of the offenders in the program will be males, the Aurora House will provide the others. Julianna Ramirez, senior administrative assistant with the all-girls group home said Graham and Conklin reached out to her to include the girls in the mentoring program. Aurora House helps female teens that come from broken homes and are dealing with truancy and other issues that have landed them in the juvenile court system.

“I think the program will be wonderful,” Ramirez said. “A lot of the parents may not have the resources to help the teens.”

Volunteer mentors will go through a gambit of background checks including a criminal, driving history and a child protective services check. Graham said the Fairfax Partnership for Youth offered to assist with the training.

“They go through a lot before they get paired with the kids,” Graham said. “For the first three months parents, mentees and mentors will have to check in to make sure everything is going well.”

For more information of the RISE Mentoring Program, click here or to apply, click here.