Program for youth mentoring through literature gains county support | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Program for youth mentoring through literature gains county support Program for youth mentoring through literature gains county support Published: November 28, 2011 Author: Bill Schmitt Reading for Life, an innovative literature-based mentoring program that provides an alternative to prosecution for low-risk juvenile offenders, was recently awarded county funding to sustain its operation in St. Joseph County, Ind. With the unanimous approval of the county council and commissioners, Judge Peter J. Nemeth of the St. Joseph Probate Court has appropriated basic funding for Reading for Life for 2012. Peter Morgan, executive director of St. Joseph County’s Thomas N. Frederick Juvenile Justice Center, points out, “Reading for Life has been more successful in diverting young people from the juvenile justice system than traditional programs such as community service. The program’s success makes it very cost-effective.” Developed at the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI), Reading for Life is a character education diversion program that focuses on seven cardinal and theological virtues, and engages youth in small-group discussions of classic and contemporary literature with trained mentors. The goal is to encourage young people to make more prudent life choices. The program mentors juvenile offenders through the Juvenile Justice Center’s probation department. “This is a very exciting development for Reading for Life,’” says Alesha Seroczynski, director of the program. “For those of us in the academy who conduct applied research, it is always great when a community organization sees such value in our work that they want to incorporate it into their own programming. This really is a scholar’s highest honor.” Seroczynski, an associate program director with IEI, notes that Reading for Life could not be successful without the tireless hours that volunteer mentors from our community invest in these young people. “Our volunteer mentors are the heart and soul of the program,” she adds. “They genuinely care about these youth and want them to become successful young adults.” Reading for Life is “a concrete example of how the Institute for Educational Initiatives’ long investment in moral education is now paying dividends,” says Clark Power, an IEI Fellow and professor of developmental psychology in Notre Dame’s Master of Education (M. Ed.) program. “The Reading for Life program in St. Joseph County should serve as a model for literature-based character education across the country.” For the past two years, Reading for Life has been supported by the Arête Initiative at the University of Chicago. Contact: Bill Schmitt, media/communications specialist, Institute for Educational Initiatives, 574-631-3893, wschmitt@nd.edu Posted In: Faith Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related October 03, 2022 dCEC to Award 2023 ND Evangelium Vitae Medal to Robert P. George September 22, 2022 In memoriam: Rev. Richard Warner, C.S.C., longtime leader for Notre Dame, Congregation of Holy Cross September 15, 2022 In new book on global Catholicism, Provost John McGreevy explores modern history, current challenges of the Church September 15, 2022 Death penalty abolitionist Sister Helen Prejean to speak at Notre Dame September 14, 2022 Apostolic nuncio to Great Britain to deliver the 2022 Keeley Vatican Lecture For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn