History

MIMIC was founded September 2007 by a group whose concerns about the violence plaguing inner city youth and the alarming number of young people entering the juvenile/prison system prompted them to address these issues.

MIMIC is a community based organization that is uniquely prepared to engage the hardest to reach young males. The members of MIMIC are members of the same communities they serve, sharing similarities in culture, language and background. Additionally, many members of MIMIC are ex-offenders that have returned to their community as productive, upstanding citizens, modeling for young people the steps necessary to create profound change and the value of second chances. Because of their distinct experiences, MIMIC mentors are able to easily connect with the young people, quickly eliminating the barriers faced by traditional service providers in engaging extremely at-risk youth. Mentors reach youth through school presentations, referrals, and/or by providing business cards to youth right on the street corners where young people meet, converge, or engage in risky activity. Once the mentoring relationship begins, mentors help youth identify the various social obstacles and determine how each will be surmounted and engage them in activities and programming.

MIMIC’s ultimate goal is to reduce the number of young males entering gangs and/or the criminal justice system by way of effective male mentors focused on helping young men: engage/reengage in education or training and to strengthen the social networks needed to live productive lives free of violence. A second and equally important goal is to re-engage adult men to be active leaders in their communities.