NCJ Number
61802
Date Published
1979
Length
67 pages
Annotation
THE BIG SISTERS PROGRAM OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA,IS DESCRIBED; PROGRAM GOALS, EFFECTIVENESS, AND ACTIVITIES OF THE LEAA-FUNDED PROJECT ARE DISCUSSED AND PROBLEMS ARE IDENTIFIED.
Abstract
THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN OPERATING AT ST. MARKS COMMUNITY CENTER SINCE 1975 TO MATCH TROUBLED GIRLS AGED 8 TO 16 WITH ADULT FEMALE VOLUNTEERS. VOLUNTEERS PROVIDE COMPANIONSHIP TO THE GIRLS ON A WEEKLY BASIS WITH ULTIMATE GOALS OF IMPROVING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND BEHAVIOR PATTERNS, THUS PREVENTING DELINQUENCY. AFTER 9 MONTHS OF PROGRAM OPERATION, 21 MATCHES HAD BEEN MADE, WITH AN ADDITIONAL 8 ACCEPTED LITTLE SISTERS WAITING TO BE MATCHED; THIS FIGURE REPRESENTS AN ACHIEVEMENT RATE OF 56 PERCENT OF THE GOAL. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE SCREENING TIMES FOR POTENTIAL BIG SISTER VOLUNTEERS AND LITTLE SISTERS INDICATES THAT IT TAKES 5 WEEKS LONGER TO SCREEN AND MATCH THE LEAA BIG SISTERS FOR ACCEPTANCE THAN LITTLE SISTERS; POLICE CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR BIG SISTERS LARGELY ACCOUNTS FOR THE DELAY. THE PROGRAM IS ADDRESSING THE OBJECTIVES OF TRAINING, COUNSELING, AND SUPERVISION OF MATCHES. HOWEVER, THE REPORTS SHOW THAT NOT ALL BIG SISTER VOLUNTEERS ARE RECORDED AS RECEIVING FORMALIZED TRAINING BEFORE MATCH AND NOT ALL ARE RECORDED AS FULFILLING THE WEEKLY CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THESE CONDICTIONS BE MET AND BE MORE ACCURATELY DOCUMENTED. THE GOALS OF IMPROVED ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND PREVENTION OF DELINQUENCY WERE INVESTIGATED IN ORDER TO PLAN FOR THE SECOND YEAR PRELIMINARY IMPACT REPORT. AVAILABLE INFORMATION IN THE GOAL OF IMPROVED ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE SUGGESTS THAT THE PROGRAM SHOULD HAVE LITTLE DIFFICULTY MEETING THIS GOAL IF SCHOOL RECORDS ARE KEPT ON PARTICIPANTS. HOWEVER, DATA RELATING TO THE PREVENTION OF DELINQUENCY REVEAL THAT SO FEW LITTLE SISTERS HAVE POLICE RECORDS THAT MEASURING THIS GOAL IN TERMS OF ARREST DATA IS MEANINGLESS; THE PROGRAM STAFF MUST DEVELOP OTHER IMPACT MEASURES TO FILL THIS GAP. A MAJOR PROBLEM OF THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN RECRUITING ENOUGH QUALIFIED BIG SISTER VOLUNTEERS. DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SHOWS THAT ACCEPTED BIG SISTERS ARE HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATED AND AVERAGE 28.6 YEARS OF AGE; IT ALSO SHOWS THAT A LARGER PROPORTION OF THE UNMATCHED LITTLE SISTERS ARE BLACK, AND RECRUITMENT EFFORTS SHOULD FOCUS ON THE NEED FOR MORE BLACK VOLUNTEERS. TABULAR INFORMATION AND APPENDIXES ARE INCLUDED IN THE EVALUATION. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--LWM).