Lewiston gets grant to mentor through recreation department

LEWISTON – The Lewiston Recreation Department will provide mentoring, after the City Council accepted and appropriated a $62,500 Park and Recreation Mentorship for Rural Youth Impacted by Opioids grant from the National Recreation and Park Association.

Recreation Superintendent Nicole Welch said, “This grant is a great step towards diversifying Lewiston Recreation’s programs and expanding our community outreach efforts. We are looking forward to supporting Lewiston youth by connecting them with passionate community helpers in Lewiston.”

The program will be developed this fall and launched in January. The grant period ends Sept. 30, 2023. The grant was through the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention supporting youth impacted by the opioid crisis in New England and Appalachia affected by the opioid crisis. The recreation department will use the National Recreation & Park Association’s youth mentoring framework to implement group, one-on-one youth mentorship and family engagement opportunities within parks and recreation.

Over the next three years, the grant will assist with program costs related to advertising and kick-off programs; staffing and mentor training and development; activities and initiatives for both mentors and youth; and creating an exciting in-house space. There will be themed weeks and goals as mentors and mentees share what they have in common amidst the promotion of safe and healthy lifestyles.

Partners, stakeholders and youth will also be involved in developing and designing the program. Free opportunities via grant funding will enable at-risk and low-income youth to have access to recreation and leisure programming.

Welch said the community space will be used in a “productive, meaningful way to reach youth who need this support the most.”
Lewiston Recreation met several criteria points in being awarded the grant, including a clear commitment to support youth impacted by opioid use, substance us, and Adverse Childhood Experiences, as well as connecting youth to evidence-based mentoring opportunities. The department’s application also demonstrated a commitment to advancing equity and an organizational commitment to prioritize justice, diversity, equity and inclusion.

The grant is described as a good fit with the department’s focus over the last year to diversify opportunities to include a wider range of residents in programming. “The mentoring grant will include a focus on life-long recreation and leisure programs, while increasing socialization amongst the many cultures in our community,” Welch said.