Auburn PAL, the Auburn Police Activities League, is one of three Maine communities selected to receive a national grant designed to implement a mentor program for youth impacted by the opioid epidemic.
The youth mentoring grant is sponsored by the National Recreation and Parks Association and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Only 10 communities were selected from the Appalachian and New England regions. The grant, which totals $62,500 over a three-year timeframe, was awarded to the Auburn Recreation Department, and will be implemented at the Auburn PAL Center at 24 Chestnut St. The city of Lewiston and town of Berwick were the two other Maine recipients.
The program at PAL will focus on pairing 25 youth from the PAL/Chestnut Street neighborhood with 25 adults for a one-on-one mentorship experience. The mentoring program will begin in January 2022, when the students return from winter break.
“While this program will focus on our youth, it will also require family engagement activities and wide community support,” said Recreation Director Sabrina Best, according to a news release from the center. “We will put together various activities and programs for the mentor/mentee teams, such as basketball, hiking, job shadowing, homework help, arts, and crafts and much more.”
“One of the greatest opportunities with this grant is the ability to provide youth with resources and support,” said Rita Beaudry, a founding member of the PAL Board of Directors and Auburn’s grant manager. “Basic items such as shoes, winter clothes, school supplies, and hygiene products will be available to each of the kids participating in the program.”
The program will also offer services such as grief counseling, transportation, guest speakers and substance abuse professionals.
“With Lewiston Recreation also receiving this grant, there will be opportunities for the two programs to collaborate, said PAL Coordinator Shawn Boyd. “There are kids who end up bouncing back and forth over the bridge throughout the school year for various reasons. Having a similar program in both communities will provide a sense of consistency and ‘home’ for many of these kids,” he added.
Auburn Recreation and the PAL Center seek volunteers 18 and older to mentor a child in the program. Those interested are asked to contact Best at sbest@auburnmaine.gov or 207-333-6611.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
