Partners For Peace is a violence prevention organization dedicated to building strong families and cultivating peace through family education programs. P4P offers four family education programs and two youth mentoring initiatives in Salinas and Soledad, with the goal of equipping families with the tools to thrive in today's fast-paced world and create a more peaceful community.
The BIG IDEA - to expand STEP UP Mentoring throughout Monterey County!
The P4P STEP UP weekly mentoring program is built on the belief that preventing youth violence and delinquency requires increasing protective factors and reducing risk factors. The program serves "at-promise" 6th-9th graders, equipping them with tools to thrive in a fast-changing world. It focuses on five key elements: social-emotional development, money management, career readiness, civic engagement/leadership, and academic success.
The program is led by a "success team" of coaches, including family members, dream coaches, and community/school mentors. Participants receive monthly field trips as rewards for demonstrating progress in the five success elements. Past outings have included golf, go-karting, zip lining, beach cleanups, horseback riding, and mock city council meetings.
The impact of this program is an increase in school success and decreases in challenging youth behaviors - substance abuse, violence in the community, truancy, or gang behavior.
Serving as a mentor for Soledad has been a great honor, allowing me to return to my community and make a meaningful impact on local youth. I witnessed firsthand how the program profoundly benefited the participants, who gained invaluable skills. Many learned to communicate more effectively with others, understand the importance of self-care, manage their finances, explore diverse career paths, cope with stress, and set healthy boundaries in their relationships - among numerous other transformative lessons.
- Johana Paniagua Vega
