Amachi: Mentoring Children of Prisoners in Philadelphia.

This report documents the work of Amachi, a mentoring program for children of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated parents in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Volunteers are recruited from inner-city congregations to provide one-to-one mentoring to the children. Beyond being the source of mentors, the congregations are a key part of the initiative. Information for this report comes from interviews with program developers, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Amachi staff, pastors, church volunteer coordinators, and mentors. This report describes challenges and successes of the Amachi model, focusing on the structure of the program in Philadelphia; describes the steps involved in transforming Amachi from plan to reality, highlighting the strategies for recruiting children, pastors, and volunteers; and examines the experiences of mentors and mentees and the challenges and successes of the matches thus far. A combination of four factors was essential (structure, management, commitment, and resources) . One partner was an organization that had substantive experience with mentoring and could provide the necessary infrastructure. The partnership between secular and faith-based organizations was designed to be a "true partnership." There was leadership that was able to bridge the faith and secular communities. A firm system of accountability was key to success. (Contains 11 references and 23 endnotes.) (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.