Hi Joseph,
Welcome to the Community Tool Box (CTB) and Ask an Advisor; I hope we will be able to provide you with timely, useful, accurate, and directly applicable information to guide your work advocating for child mentor programs. In answer to your question, definitely. Truth be told, I don't know much about child mentor programs per se, but let me at least provide you with some resources from the CTB to inform your thinking on youth mentoring programs and how to conduct advocacy work, which if I read your question correctly are at the heart of what you are trying to do within your community.
First, I think it would be a good use of time to check out "Chapter 22 - Youth Mentoring Programs" and its seven most excellent sections. I'm not sure how much experience you have in setting up and maintaining youth mentoring programs, but this chapter should prove informative whether you're a neophyte or a seasoned veteran (from your question, my guess the latter?). To get there, begin on our home page and click on the "Learn A Skill" button (top left corner of the page), then click on the "Table of Contents" and scroll down to the section entitled "Implementing Promising Community Interventions." Click on "Chapter 22. Youth Mentoring Programs." Therein you will find seven sections, each of which holds a variety of resources including checklists to tools to examples, etc. - really fantastic information provided by noted experts in youth mentoring! As follows, these are the sections: "Section 1. Building Youth Mentoring Programs"; "Section 2. Recruiting Mentors for Your Programs"; "Section 3. Training Adult Mentors"; "Section 4. Recruiting Youth to Your Mentoring Program"; "Section 5. Building Youth/Mentor Relationships"; "Section 6. Youth Goal Setting"; and "Section 7. Getting Feedback: Keeping Your Mentoring Program Relevant and Successful". Wow, that's a lot, but if you want to know about youth mentoring programs this is the place to go.
Okay, as I mentioned the second aspect of your work is advocacy. Not only is it important to have a great youth mentoring program, but it's equally important to advocate for that program to maximize effect and impact. That said, the CTB has a whole section, multiple chapters, and a number of toolkits to inform your thinking on advocacy so let me point out the ones I think will be most useful and show you how to get there. Again, on our home page and click on the "Learn A Skill" button, click on "Table of Contents" and scroll down to the section entitled "Organizing for Effective Advocacy - Information on advocacy principles, advocacy research, providing education, direct action campaigns, media advocacy, and responding to opposition." For you, I think "Chapter 30. Principles of Advocacy"; "Chapter 31. Conducting Advocacy Research"; "Chapter 32. Providing Encouragement and Education"; "Chapter 33. Conducting a Direct Action Campaign"; "Chapter 34. Media Advocacy"; and toolkit "10. Advocating for Change." Now, you might not consider or use everything within these chapters, but if nothing else, I suggest reading Chapter 31 to get a sense of the importance of advocacy; the other chapters can then be used for reference as you move forward.
Last, you might be interested in our databases of best practices around child and youth development:
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Model Programs Guide. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Model Programs Guide (MPG) is designed to assist practitioners and communities in implementing evidence-based prevention and intervention programs that can make a difference in the lives of children and communities. The MPG database of over 200 evidence-based programs covers the entire continuum of youth services from prevention through sanctions to reentry.
Promising Practice Network on Children, Youth, and Families. The Promising Practices Network site highlights programs and practices and research evidence about what works in improving outcomes for children and youth.
Okay, with that Joseph I think you've got plenty of information to guide your work in developing and maintaining child/youth mentoring programs while at the same time advocating on their behalf. I hope this information proves useful, if not, please feel free to drop by CTB again and we'll work together to come up with a more sufficient answer. Best to you. Be well, take care, and do good work!
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