Mentoring Program to Get Youth Award

A juvenile mentoring program run by the North Hollywood office of the county Probation Department will be among three county programs lauded during a presentation of the “Youth: Heart of Our Community” awards at a Board of Supervisors meeting today.

The awards, given by the recently formed Joint Youth Foundation, recognize collaborative community programs that promote a safe and healthy environment for disadvantaged and disabled youth.

The 3-year-old North Hollywood program matches probation office volunteers--usually from neighboring Walt Disney Studios--with youngsters 10 to 15 for tutoring and mentoring on a weekly basis.

At-risk youths who are in trouble for the first time are matched with adult role models to help them improve performance at school and build self-esteem through school achievement.

According to probation officer Lyndon Soriano, who coordinates the program with colleague Sue Ryan, mentoring takes many shapes: jogging together, attending Mighty Ducks games, reading together, and helping with homework, to name a few.

The kids “are really bright but need someone in their lives to get them over the top,” Soriano said. “They don’t have a lot of guidance sometimes.”

The mentoring lasts a minimum of six months, Soriano said. But for some pairings, it develops into a deep friendship.

Other county programs receiving awards are the Teen On Target violence prevention program of the Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center and the Medical Magnet School of the High Desert Hospital.