A Need for Teen Mentor Program

A program to steer elementary school students away from gangs and help them feel better about themselves has received a deserved state grant that will allow it to expand from Irvine and Westminster into Orange.

Founded by a pair of business consultants who also happen to be mother and daughter, Orange County On Track has operated for three years. Teachers recommend students who would benefit from tutoring, sports and education in how to resolve conflicts.

A key component is the teenage mentors, recruited from local high schools and deserving of praise for sparing time to help those following in their footsteps.

The state attorney general’s office recently agreed to give Orange County On Track $200,000 a year for four years. It was one of only 15 programs to receive four-year funding, out of 135 applicants.

The money will allow the program to start operations in central Orange, with help from the city Police Department, El Modena High School and West Orange Elementary School.

Counselors say teachers pick out students who aren’t in trouble but who could benefit from new friends in a different setting. The program lets students from grades four through six learn that they can get attention without shouting or getting into trouble.

Keeping youngsters out of trouble is an age-old problem. Increasingly in recent years, the older communities of north and central Orange County have focused on how they can anticipate trouble for youngsters before it happens. Such efforts as mentoring, after-school programs and the advocacy of community centers are manifestations of this effort.

Involving as many elements of the community as possible is a good way of finding a solution. Parents, teachers, police, teen mentors and younger students should be able to work together to devise worthwhile and rewarding activities.