A Service
Partnership
To Mentor
Youth
Most At Risk
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Tariq Khamisa Foundation
• San Diego, CA based non-profit
• TKF was formed after a 20 year old college
student was killed by a 14 year old gang
member. He became the first child in
California under the age of 16 to be convicted
as an adult. Their families came together to
established TKF.
• 17 years experience in violence prevention
programming
• Serviced over 500,000 students since 1995
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Tariq Khamisa Foundation
• Violence as victim, witness or perpetrator places
all children at-risk and can have long term
impacts.
• At TKF, we believe violence is a learned behavior.
• Mentors are a means to support youth in
breaking their cycles of violence.
• We believe every child, in spite of their
behaviors or situations, deserves to be treated
well and have the opportunity for a healthy life,
free of violence.
• TKF teaches children to be peacemakers.
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The Need For Violence
Prevention Focused Mentoring
• 60% of America’s children are exposed to
violence
• Students ages 12 to 18 were victims of 1.5
million crimes while at school
• One in five kids is a bully
• Every day in our country over 18,500 children
are suspended from school for acts of
misconduct
• Its estimated less 10% of students are
generally responsible for 80% of a school’s
safety concerns
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Safe School Model
INDIVIDUAL
PROGRAMS
 Mentoring
 Skill Development
Workshops
EDUCATIONAL
PROGRAMS
 Class Curriculum
 Violence Impact

Assemblies
Safety Assessment
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COMMUNITY
PROGRAMS
 Youth Service Projects
 Summer Youth Camps
 Referral Assistance
Mentoring Intervention
• Established in 2008 as a CA initiative pilot
project to provide individually focused attention
for youth impacted by violence and gangs
• Designed as a school-based program
• Utilize stipend AmeriCorps mentors placed in
teams at partnering schools
• Full-time mentors manage caseloads of 15 to 18
mentees
• Youth receive multiple weekly contacts at
school, home and in the community.
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Mentoring Intervention
• TKF averages 90 hours of mentoring per youth
annually
• Develop individual service plans that include
both one-on-one attention and group
participation
• Can address school difficulties immediately
• TKF Mentoring Curriculum to assist with
relationship development, discussing violence
and future directions
• Include recreational, community service and
summer programming
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Mentoring Intervention
• Mentors receive over 100 hours of training
• Multiple opportunities for supervision, case
processing and coaching each month
• TKF developed an internet based
documentation system for data collection,
service monitoring and reporting
• Our cost per mentored youth is $1,600
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TKF Mentors
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
 Willing to commit to a year of mentoring
 Able to mentor a higher risk youth
 Pass all background check requirements (5)
 Can independently manage caseload
 Can professionally interact with schools and
various community organizations
 Demonstrate good judgment skills
 Can be timely with data collection tasks
Four Stage Selection Process
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Target Population
• TKF mentors middle school students ages 10 to 15
• Focus on youth who are truant, in detention,
suspended, fighting, using drugs, disrupting
classes, getting arrested, threatening others,
hurting themselves, running away, experiencing
family violence or gang involved.
• Youth are referred by school staff, parents, CBOs
and peers
• All participating youth must have a history of
school misconduct (referrals, suspensions,
expulsions or truancy)
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Target Population
TKF YOUTH DEMOGRAPHICS
 97% are minorities
 93% qualify for free or reduced lunch
 83% have history of suspensions
 83% are experiencing academic difficulties
 60% have a history of violent behaviors
 55% reside in single parent household
 51% experienced significant trauma or loss
 30% have an incarcerated family member
 16% have been arrested
 12% gang involved
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Our Partnership
School Districts
• Common place for connecting with children
• School-based mentoring is growing and
proving to be effective
• TKF has historically partnered with over 30
school districts during the last 17 years to
conduct its services
• Can be relationships with multiple layers and
agendas
• Formal agreements including data sharing
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Our Partnership
Corporation for National &
Community Service - AmeriCorps
•
•
•
•
•
•
National service program
Emphasis on supporting economically
disadvantaged and at risk youth
TKF grant recipient since 2008
Resource for leveraging funding
Build capacity to recruit quality mentors
Supports mentor with stipends and
education awards
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Our Partnership
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TKF Mentoring Results
SERVICE OUTCOMES
 Since 2008, TKF has enrolled over 2,500 highrisk youth
 Placed mentors at 17 local Middle Schools
 Annually conduct 45,000 mentoring contacts
 Youth receive 8 to 10 hours of mentoring
monthly over an 8 to 11 month service period
 Participating schools are reporting declines in
school infractions resulting in safer campuses
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TKF Mentoring Results
BEHAVIOR CHANGE ACHIEVED
SY 2011 THRU SY 2012
N=1,086 STUDENTS
NEGATIVE
STUDENT
BEHAVIOR
PERCENT OF
STUDENTS WITH
BEHAVIOR AT
ENTRY
PERCENT OF
STUDENTS WITH
BEHAVIOR AT
EXIT
LEVEL OF
CHANGE
ACHIEVED
SCHOOL DISCIPLINARY
PROBLEMS
88%
29.2%
66.8%
SCHOOL
TRUANCY
34.5%
9.7%
71.9%
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TKF Mentoring Results
San Diego Unified School District had a decrease of 73%
in school misconduct behaviors for TKF involved students
SCHOOL DISCIPLINARY PROBLEM BEHAVIORS
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Bell 2011
(N=51)
Bell 2012
(N=54)
Clark 2011
(N=41)
Clark 2012
(N=58)
Knox 2011
(N=28)
Behavior Problems @ Program Entry
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Knox 2012
Roosevelt
Memorial Wilson 2012
(N=36)
2011 (N=43) 2011 (N=58)
(N=53)
Behavior Problems @ Program Exit
TKF Mentoring Results
San Diego Unified School District had an overall decrease of
85% in truancy behaviors for TKF involved students
SCHOOL TRUANCY BEHAVIORS
40
30
20
10
0
Bell 2011
(N=51)
Bell 2012
(N=54)
Clark 2011
(N=41)
Clark 2012
(N=58)
Knox 2011
(N=28)
Truancy @ Program Entry
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Knox 2012 Roosevelt
Memorial Wilson 2012
(N=36)
2011 (N=43) 2011 (N=58)
(N=53)
Truancy @ Program Exit
Challenges &
Lessons Learned
• Economic impacts including education budget
cuts, reduced grant opportunities and declines in
donations
• Frequent changes with partnering school
personnel and maintaining buy-in of intervention
• Operating within educational systems
• Annual turnover of the mentors with AmeriCorps
• Not a shortage of at-risk youth
• Planning is key
• Mentor support and oversight is essential for
success
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Partnership Next Steps
• Participation with CaliforniaVolunteer
(AmeriCorps) in planning process to develop
educational model for supporting public schools
• Explore replication of TKF Safe School Model,
including mentoring intervention, in additional
CA communities
• Initiate a third party evaluation study of the
mentoring intervention
• Expand investment opportunities for TKF
mentoring
• Continue to present intervention and results at
local and national conferences
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• Additional information available in
presentation packet
• To learn more visit us at www.tkf.org
Lisa Grogan
President/CEO
lisa@tkf.org
619-955-8777 ext. 106
Benita Page
Operation Director
benita@tkf.org
619-955-8777 ext. 107
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