Children of Incarcerated Parents
Children of Incarcerated Parents
Children of Incarcerated Parents
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—chapter four—<br />
AMACHI IN ACTION<br />
During its initial two years <strong>of</strong> operations—from<br />
April 2001 through March 2003—Amachi made 556 matches<br />
between volunteer mentors and children <strong>of</strong> incarcerated parents.This chapter<br />
examines those matches. It discusses how the children and adults spent their<br />
time together; how <strong>of</strong>ten they met; the challenges volunteers faced in building<br />
relationships with their mentees; and how long the matches have lasted and why<br />
some have terminated. Finally, it looks at early indications <strong>of</strong> how children may<br />
be benefiting from the relationships.<br />
HOW DID MENTORS AND CHILDREN SPEND<br />
THEIR TIME TOGETHER?<br />
Amachi is a community-based mentoring program. Each mentor-child pair<br />
decides on the time and location <strong>of</strong> each meeting and the activities they will do<br />
together.These activities vary widely. (See Table 3 for an overview.) Mentors go<br />
to the movies or cultural events with their mentees, have a meal with them, and<br />
sometimes take them to church services or youth activities at the church, such as<br />
choir practice or birthday parties. Occasionally, the mentor helps with schoolwork.<br />
Often, the two just “hang out” together. Many <strong>of</strong> the mentors refer to the<br />
children as “their family” and like to take them along on family outings.<br />
AMACHI IN ACTION 27