Children of Incarcerated Parents

Table 2:
Mentor Demographics
Number
Percentage
Total Number of Mentors 482 —
Mentor Gender:
Male 200 42%
Female 277 58%
Missing gender 5 —
Mentor Age:
17 to 21 years old 24 5%
22 to 30 years old 83 18%
31 to 40 years old 97 22%
41 to 50 years old 124 28%
51 to 60 years old 74 16%
More than 60 years old 47 10%
Missing age 33 —
Mentor Race:
African American 379 82%
Latino/a 38 8%
Caucasian 34 7%
Other 11 2%
Missing race 20 —
Source: Amachi Year Longitudinal Report, April 1, 2001-March 31, 2003.
THE CHALLENGE OF
GETTING THE MATCHES STARTED
The speed with which large numbers of volunteers and children were recruited
created its own obstacle to getting the actual project activities—mentoring—up
and running. Despite some concern on the part of Amachi planners that volunteers
might feel resistant about going through the screening process, most of them
quickly completed the required paperwork. 17 Next, BBBS had to conduct the
criminal history background checks and child abuse clearances; contact references
listed on the application forms; interview volunteers, children, and the children’s
caregivers; make the matches; and provide training to the new mentors.
But, as one Amachi planner explained,“The program took off faster than
we had ever anticipated.”The local BBBS agency, Big Brothers Big Sisters
Southeastern Pennsylvania, was responsible for the screening, matching, and
training process, as well as for monitoring and supporting the matches once
they began. Before Amachi, it had been overseeing fewer than 800 mentoring
24
AMACHI