Fresno MOSAIC: High Hopes for Helping the Youth

In the Summer of 2006, the Department of Social Work Education and the Office of Civic Engagement and Service Leaning launched the Fresno MOSAIC (Mentoring to Overcome Struggles And Inspire Courage) program at Fresno State. Dr. Mitzi Lowe, an Associate Professor at the Social Work Education Department, explained that faculty, students, probation officials, and several service organizations will act as partners in this program to assist the incarcerated youth.

A part-time faculty will supervise about 10 to 15 trained students. The students will work at the Juvenile Justice Campus to develop this population’s self-esteem, so the youth can learn to manage their anger and to resolve their conflicts. The youth will be exposed to art, music, creative writing, and yoga to help them become productive members of society. Currently, only social work and recreation faculty and students offer their services; however, in the future, people from the Criminology, Education, and the Arts and Humanities departments will also be invited to take part. Overall, it is expected that in the next three years, by helping up to 450 youth per year, our students will serve over 40,000 hours.

“Fresno Forward,” a new non-profit agency, is just one of several service organizations that will work with Fresno MOSAIC. Dr. Lowe serves as this agency’s president of the board. She noted that MOSAIC will help our community in three respects: “(1) Community engagement is one of the primary missions of California State University, Fresno. This program will engage students and faculty in direct service to our community through service learning, internships, and community-based research. (2) Our students will be provided a ‘laboratory of learning’ where they will provide new services to youth who are marginalized in our community…. (3) [The] youth will benefit from new…programs that will provide alternatives to gang involvement, drug use, school failure, and further involvement with the criminal justice system.”

Initially, MOSAIC was sponsored by Learn and Serve America, when it began in 2002 at California State University, Northridge. During the 2003-2006 grant cycle, 515 students served 300 hours per academic year by helping about 700 youth.  These students helped the youth in after-school programs, and their goal was to reduce gang activities, the drop-out rate, and the crime rate in the San Fernando Valley. Dr. Lowe said, “We have stories of youth who went to college and later became mentors themselves.” MOSAIC used to be a part of after-school programs run by the Los Angles Police Department. In time, the program’s success rate in the community allowed it to expand. Many people believe MOSAIC is a first-rate program, as it offers beneficial results for socially and economically disadvantaged young people.

“When I approached Dr. Lowe with the opportunity to apply for MOSAIC funding, she was ecstatic,” indicated Chris Fiorentino, Director of Civic Engagement and Service-Learning. “Her passion for working to improve the lives of the children incarcerated in Juvenile Hall is exemplary, and that passion translates to her desire to engage her students in meaningful learning and service experiences in the community.”

Dr. Lowe confirmed that the program was well-received when she recalled a recent experience at Juvenile Hall. “As I entered the unit, some of the young males ran up to me and asked, ‘Hey, are you the mentor lady? Can you please get me a mentor? When do you think I might be able to get a mentor?’” 

Additionally, as the program’s Field Coordinator, Dr. Lowe admits that her volunteer experiences have developed her strengths as an instructor in the classroom. She said, “With this experience, I can better teach students about community action planning, collaboration, and the importance of being involved for the long haul.”  Her current involvement in Fresno MOSIAC will also contribute to her research.

Above all, given her efforts in our community and her commitment to the youth, Dr. Lowe acknowledged, “It feels good to make a difference in your community. I get very excited about empowering our students to feel as if they can make a difference.” Dr. Lowe, indeed, does have high hopes for the underprivileged youth in our great valley.