The Institute for Social and Policy Research was recently awarded a $7,500 grant to support the development of a Support Center for Educational Mentoring as part of a Legacy Foundation funded initiative called the Indiana Expanding Access and Success in Education (EASE).  The purpose of this three-year project is to engage and/or build on current efforts to better understand the barriers faced by disconnected local youth in accessing and completing post-secondary education, and to take steps to improve access and success for these young people.  The target population for this project is young people, between the ages of 14 to 24, who are or have been homeless, in foster care, and/or court-involved. Faculty from Purdue University Calumet, Indiana University Northwest, Ivy Tech Community College, and Calumet College are currently developing a training program for educational mentors. 

Initial piloting of the curriculum will take place in March of 2008 with resources for the support center being procured during that same time period.  The training program will incorporate distance learning technologies that include discussion boards, chat rooms, and other forms of media that have proven effective in training a variety of individuals.