Mentoring through Community Cultural Liaisons
La Crosse County Human Services
4/1/2022-3/30/2023
La Crosse County Human Services mentoring program will enhance the La Crosse System of Care (SOC) through the addition of one part-time Community Cultural Liaison to be contracted through Hope Restores, a local non-profit agency. The target population is youth who identify as black, age 10-18 years old within the City of La Crosse. Youth will be identified through participation in SOC or through interactions with neighborhood resource officers. The overall goal of this project is to enhance existing positive youth development and mentoring initiatives by:
- Creating opportunities to engage meaningfully with youth while connecting to existing community resources to build resilience, self-esteem, connection with peers and social support
- Increasing access to culturally responsive services.
Strengthen Our Ability to Work with Youth of Color
La Crosse County Justice Support Services provided historical trauma training to youth-serving organizations, including the School District of La Crosse, to better serve youth of color in La Crosse County. Training was aimed to increase the knowledge and skills of individuals currently working with youth of color and their families in order to improve responses to behaviors currently being misinterpreted as criminal in nature.
Six trainings, hosted by the Boys and Girls Club of Greater La Crosse and the City of La Crosse, were administered to increase professional development in cultural proficiency and recognizing historical trauma. 121 individuals attended the training, including parents of color. The collaborative nature of the trainings increased the level of trust between professionals and families of color served in the area. Feedback form parents of children of color noted the powerful information shared to improve parenting, such as the impacts of historical trauma on the dysregulation experienced by children of color.
Fair and Impartial Policing
UW-La Crosse Police Department provided training to officers in the subject of Fair and Impartial Policing. The training was presented by Fair and Impartial Policing, LCC. The training assisted officers in understanding hidden bias and increasing awareness of said biases. The community session portion of the training also assisted marginalized and minority populations perceptions of law enforcement.
Improving Youth Supports Through Assessment
La Crosse County Human Services, specifically the La Crosse System of Care, along with the La Crosse Family YMCA, The Good Fight, and Boys & Girls Club of Greater La Crosse will be purchasing the use of an online database and online Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) assessments to strengthen decision making across systems and maximize existing resources that currently serve youth. By utilizing a shared assessment tool across youth serving agencies, it is expected that the needs of youth, especially youth of color, will be better identified and met, resulting in less involvement with the youth justice system.
Empowering Minds
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the 7 Rivers Region, Inc.
7/1/2025-6/30/2025
The Empowering Minds program at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the 7 Rivers Region is a strengths-based, relationship-driven initiative that supports youth from diverse backgrounds and circumstances. Serving youth across a 9-county region, the program provides critical resources through a positive youth development framework that emphasizes mentorship, emotional wellness, academic success, and community connectedness.
At the heart of Empowering Minds are consistent, one-to-one mentoring relationships with trained adult mentors who guide youth in developing resilience, decision-making skills, and a positive sense of identity. Our mentors also serve as role models and advocates, helping youth set goals, stay engaged in school, avoid risky and criminal behaviors, and access the necessary support.
Empowering Minds addresses key risk and protective factors by offering:
- School Engagement: Mentors help youth improve attendance, build relationships with teachers, and foster a stronger sense of belonging in school. We collaborate with school staff to support students' academic growth and reduce the risks of dropout and truancy.
- Peer and Social Support: Youth participate in group match activities that build social skills, foster healthy peer relationships, and reduce social isolation, common precursors to delinquent behavior.
- Substance Use Prevention: Through mentoring conversations, structured activities, and partnerships with prevention programs, youth develop the knowledge and skills necessary to resist peer pressure and make informed, safe, and healthy choices.
- Mental Health and Wellness Support: We connect youth and families with mental health services as needed, while also equipping mentors with the tools to recognize signs of distress and offer early, supportive interventions. Programming promotes emotional regulation, mindfulness, and confidence.
- Juvenile Justice Prevention: By offering safe, structured, and meaningful alternatives to risk behaviors, Empowering Minds directly contributes to a reduction in juvenile justice involvement. The program helps youth build coping skills, understand the consequences of their actions, and envision positive futures.