Children of Incarcerated Parents
Children of Incarcerated Parents
Children of Incarcerated Parents
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A growing number <strong>of</strong> additional cities have expressed interest in Amachi.<br />
There is also support at the federal level. In January 2002, when President Bush<br />
signed the bill extending and expanding the Promoting Safe and Stable Families<br />
Program, it included authorization for a mentoring program for children <strong>of</strong> prisoners;<br />
and, in his 2003 State <strong>of</strong> the Union Address, he specifically proposed a<br />
$150 million initiative that would bring mentors to 100,000 <strong>of</strong> those children.<br />
In May, the federal Family and Youth Services Bureau announced the availability<br />
<strong>of</strong> funds and issued a request for applications for its Mentoring <strong>Children</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
Prisoners Program.<br />
THE STRUCTURE OF THIS REPORT<br />
As Amachi looks toward expansion, what lessons can policymakers, funders,<br />
and potential new sites learn from the experiences in Philadelphia? This report<br />
describes the challenges and successes <strong>of</strong> Amachi, to date, and discusses the<br />
implications <strong>of</strong> those experiences.The following chapter, Chapter II, outlines the<br />
components <strong>of</strong> the Amachi model and the particular structure <strong>of</strong> the program in<br />
Philadelphia. Chapter III describes the steps involved in transforming Amachi<br />
from plan to reality, focusing on the strategies for recruiting children, pastors,<br />
and volunteers. Chapter IV then examines the experiences <strong>of</strong> the mentors and<br />
their mentees, and the challenges and successes <strong>of</strong> the matches thus far. A concluding<br />
chapter outlines lessons learned from the Amachi experience.<br />
Information for the report is drawn from interviews with program developers,<br />
BBBS and Amachi staff, pastors, church volunteer coordinators, and mentors,<br />
as well as from data collected by P/PV and BBBS.<br />
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AMACHI