DeKalb County is looking for mentors.

Joey Johanning runs the Juvenile Mentor Learning Program, pairing up youths in the court system with mentors from the community. He said volunteers are matched on an individual basis and there are no guidelines for who can participate.

“I look for somebody that wants to make a positive connection with youth,” Johanning said.
Right now, he has mentors ranging in age from 19 to 50 years old.

Michael Venditti, juvenile probation officer for DeKalb County, said they do background checks on potential volunteers, but they are not looking for a particular personality type or background.

He said many NIU students volunteer and he often sees people going above and beyond to help.
The mentor and juvenile work together on an academic project over a 10-week period with each youth choosing a subject to research.

“That’s what helps build their success,” Johanning said.

Children have chosen to work on everything from the origin of tattooing to Andy Warhol.

The mentor program works in conjunction with probation. Venditti said the goal of the juvenile justice system is different from the adult, with a greater focus on rehab and learning.

Venditti said there are some grumblings early on from participants. A common first reaction is, “Oh man, I have to spend my Saturday mornings on this.”

By the program’s end though, Venditti and Johanning said they often see a much more confident child, ready to present their research to an audience that often includes family, judges and state attorneys.

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Johanning at vjohanning@dekalbcounty.org.

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