Program Description

The Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP) is a high tech, career-focused mentoring program for youth with disabilities involved with or at-risk of becoming involved with the juvenile justice system. Funded by the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and led by The Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL), RAMP is being implemented at 12 sites across the country by state and local organizations with expertise in mentoring, youth development, and/or disability. The RAMP model utilizes a combination of group, peer, and one-on-one mentoring to promote the successful transition of RAMP youth to employment, continued learning opportunities, and independent living.

Youth participate in weekly career preparation-focused group meetings, including peer-supported goal setting and exploration of careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Each youth meets regularly one-on-one with a mentor to develop and implement an individualized mentoring plan. Mentors are caring adults, with and without disabilities, recruited from the community, schools, employers, and partner organizations.  At the end of the program cycle, each group of youth works with an industry advisor to complete a high tech project. While in RAMP, youth have the opportunity to: assess and explore their own career interests; develop a plan and set goals for their transition; create a resource map of their community’s high tech industries; participate in weekly group and peer-to-peer mentoring; gain workplace soft skills; build resume-writing and interviewing skills; interact with employers and experience a variety of work settings; give and receive peer support; take advantage of group and personal leadership opportunities; design and build a high tech-related team project, and most importantly… have fun!