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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 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 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!

Program Purpose and Goals

The Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program utilizes the Guideposts for Success as a framework to provide high-tech career-focused mentoring to youth with disabilities who are at-risk of court-involvement.  This is done through a combination of one-on-one, group, and peer mentoring, with the goals of reducing court involvement and/or recidivism; increasing career preparation; and developing work-readiness skills.

Click HERE to view a slide show depicting RAMP Activities 2010 - 2011.

Congratulations to mentees in the Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP) at Walter L. Cohen for turning a mock job fair assignment into a reality. Keith, Davon, Yashonda and Louis are all gainfully employed since learning how to complete job applications, effective interviewing skills and what not to wear on a job interview this past February. The RAMP mission was to provide meaningful practice of each of these skills for students. The students’ mission was to follow-through by applying their new skills in the real world. These 4 students did that and are now gainfully employed in our community. Their victory proves that setting goals and putting the necessary effort into achieving those goals pays off. Congratulations to these 4 students!

RAMP Goes Behind the Scenes at WGNO

Click the play button on the image below to view slideshow.

Foundations of RAMP

RAMP utilizes the Guideposts for Success transition framework and Paving the Way to Work: A Guide to Career-Focused Mentoring for Youth with Disabilities as a foundation for this mentoring model. In addition, RAMP implements strategies for employer engagement, internships, and STEM career exploration from the High School/High Tech Program Guide: A Comprehensive Transition Program Promoting Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math for Youth with Disabilities, as well as strategies for promoting the transition of youth with disabilities within the juvenile justice system from Making the Right Turn: A Guide About Improving Transition Outcomes for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Corrections System. All of these publications were created by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth and are available at www.ncwd-youth.info. In addition, the mentoring plan developed by youth and their mentors will be based on Plotting the Course for Success: An Individualized Mentoring Plan for Youth with Disabilities, created by The National Consortium on Leadership and Disability for Youth and available at
www.ncld-youth.info.