Harrisburg area mentoring programs receive funding from Messiah College’s Harrisburg Institute
May 13th, 2009
GRANTHAM, Pa. (May 13, 2009) — Studies show that nearly half of the nation’s young people live in situations that put them at-risk of not reaching their potential. Messiah College’s Harrisburg Institute for Community Research and Collaborative Partnerships has created the new Capital Region Mentoring Partnership (CRMP) to empower local organizations and individuals to facilitate healthy mentoring opportunities for at-risk youth in the Capital region of Pennsylvania.
The CRMP initiative of the Harrisburg Institute—with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice—guides and funds youth mentoring programs in the Capital area. On May 12, the Institute awarded grants to nine community agencies committed to supporting, establishing and nurturing productive relationships through mentoring.
• Danzante School of the Arts. Mentoring Through the Arts Program will provide mentors to youth in the Harrisburg area who show an interest in the arts.
• Harrisburg Area YMCA. Hope in Handball mentoring program introduces youth participants to an alternative sport that is fun to play and is easily adaptable to other core activities.
• The Salvation Army. The Interest-Based After-School & Basketball Mentoring Program will expand after-school programs and further develop the basketball mentoring program that is operating in the Salvation Army’s Green Street location in the City of Harrisburg.
• Gamut Theatre Group. Theatre Alive!, an after-school program coordinated with Camp Curtain Elementary School, teaches the basics of theater through games and lesson plans. The lessons prepare the students for a creative production of a classic story.
• Brethren Community Ministries. The Agape-Satyagraha Leadership Training program introduces youth to knowledge, skills and attitudes that help them resolve conflicts without the use of violence and in ways that create healthy relationships.
• Community Action Commission. Graduates of Across Ages Program maintains an informal relationship with their adult mentors while being trained to become mentors themselves.
• Joshua Group. J-Crew Program is an after-school, one-on-one mentoring/tutoring program for males. Primary goals are to connect young at-risk youth with older teens who have direct life experience, facilitate positive tutoring-mentoring experiences that result in improved academic performance and better school attendance, and increase self esteem/self worth of the junior mentors.
• RSVP of the Capital Region. ZONE After-School Program introduces career paths simultaneously giving ZONE students the opportunity to learn basic tool skills, develop interests and a work ethic, and experience service-learning through community in the Newport School District.
• Grace Temple Community Development, Inc. The G.R.A.C.E. Program will provide the children, grades 6-12, of Harrisburg, Steelton and outer-lying areas with a unique interest-based mentoring program that promotes positive social interactions, increases self-image and builds character.
Each grant recipient, as well as other interested community organizations, can register to participate in a free, four-part training series addressing best practices in mentoring. The sessions are May 19, 21, 28 and June 2 at the Girl Scout Building, 350 Hale Ave, Harrisburg. A light dinner will be offered at 5:30 p.m. followed by the training session from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Please RSVP to Jackie Shaw at jshaw@messiah.edu or (717) 796-4765.
About the Harrisburg Institute
The Harrisburg Institute is a community-based initiative of Messiah College designed to address community concerns and foster mutual learning among students, educators and community partners in Harrisburg and surrounding urban neighborhoods. The residential component of the Harrisburg Institute provides housing for Messiah College students at 28 Dewberry Street, an area quickly becoming the educational corridor of the city.
About Messiah College
Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, enrolls 2,800 undergraduate students in 55 majors. Established in 1909, the primary campus is located in Grantham, Pa., near the state capital of Harrisburg. A satellite campus affiliated with Temple University is located in Philadelphia.