The On Track Mentoring program team was successful in its recruitment efforts and achieved the target service numbers at the beginning of the school year. Mentees were referred due to having academic difficulties, behavioral difficulties, and/or coming from high-risk or disadvantaged home environments. The program has a strong retention rate with slightly over one-third of the mentees (34.5%) returning for their second year.
Approximately three-fourths of the mentees receiving services in the current year, in Santa Ana and Irvine, are male (72.7%). Consistent with the demographics of the targeted community, over half of the mentees identify themselves as Mexican, with all of the Santa Ana youth identifying themselves as Mexican. At the Santa Ana site, the majority of mentees (88%) reported that English is not their first language. Many of these mentees and their families are recent immigrants and are experiencing acculturation challenges. It should also be noted that the mentees are a fairly mobile group with over half (56%) reporting having moved at least 1 to 2 times in the past year.
While the program primarily recruits mentees from the 4th and 5th grades, the mentees ranged in age from 8 to 11 years old at the beginning of the school year, with an average age of 9.96 years and a standard deviation of .88. At the Santa Ana site there was some discrepancy between average age and grade level; which reflects the academic challenges of the mentees, with several having been left back a grade level.
Mentee Risk Characteristics: The On Track Mentoring Program targets youth with the greatest need for mentoring services. The program staff actively works with teachers to identify youth who are having academic difficulties, behavioral difficulties, and/or come from high-risk or disadvantaged home environments. One of the schools being served has heavy gang activity and many of the mentees have older brothers, sisters, or cousins who have been or are currently involved in gang activity.
