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### **Five Reasons to Start a PAL Chapter in Your Community**

March 2020 | Volume 13 | Issue 3

It's no secret that law enforcement is  beneficial to the community in more ways than one. Local Police Athletic/Activities  Leagues, for example, are excellent mentorship programs that help to build trust  and positive community relations between a community and its law enforcement  agency. The National Police Athletics/Activities Leagues, Inc. (National PAL)  believe young people, if reached early enough, can effectively increase  social-emotional skills, develop positive classroom behavior, increase school  attendance and even improve high school graduation rates through structured  out-of-school-time initiatives and mentorship. In fact, we provide the tools  and resources to help law enforcement agencies achieve this and much more.

 But how do you know your community is a  prime candidate to start a PAL chapter and become affiliated with National PAL?  Here are five surefire signs that will tell you a PAL chapter is right for you:
> - Poor school attendance*.*  Children who do not attend school on a consistent daily basis not only  fail to establish a structured routine, but significantly increase their  chances of dropping out of high school and never aspiring for higher education.  PAL chapters’ in or after-school programming can aid in preventing truancy and  increase graduation rates with academic aid. 
- Poor educational standards.  Overcrowded and  underfunded schools face challenges in implementing discipline and order in  their schools. Children also have the tendency to disconnect from school if the  school is not meeting their needs. PAL chapters can expand young peoples’  horizons, exposing them to a world of beneficial alternative options for higher  education. 
- An increase in incidents involving youth during non-school hours. Children who  are not enrolled in afterschool programming, particularly unsupervised youth,  are prone to using their free time negatively, potentially engaging in crime  and drugs. By establishing a PAL chapter as a safe place, you can significantly  decrease their chances of participating in vandalism, violence, and other  crime-related activities. 
- Violence or gangs in their neighborhood.  The  saying goes, hurt people hurt people. If a neighborhood is violent, the  children who live there will have a tendency to be more prone to delinquency. 
- Poverty factors.  Juvenile delinquency is more  common in poorer neighborhoods. While all neighborhoods are not exempt from  delinquent activities, it is believed they happen more in areas where children  feel they must commit crimes to prosper. 

Does your community have at least three out  of five? If so, you may find starting a PAL chapter to be advantageous.

 It is easy to start a PAL chapter, even for small  law enforcement agencies with limited budgets. PAL chapters are entirely  customizable according to the unique needs of your community. National PAL has helped successfully start and provides  resources for maintaining PAL chapters for more than 75 years. Each year  members of PAL Chapters all over the country gather to attend an annual  National Training and Development Conference to sharpen their skills to  maintain the success of their PAL. Furthermore, National PAL has grant funding  available to assist chapters with some of their basic needs. Youth enrolled in  National PAL–affiliated PAL chapters have the opportunity to attend an annual  Youth Mentoring and Leadership Summit at no cost to the youth.

So where do you begin?  First, you should obtain the support of your police chief or sheriff. With their  support, you can begin drafting your PAL chapter bylaws and selecting an  advisory board to help you with the expertise you may be missing. Find people  who are great in finance to help you with your budgeting and accounting. Next,  locate people experienced in marketing to promote your PAL. Most importantly,  find people who are ready to help you get your PAL up and running. You can also  visit the National PAL website for a complete Getting Started Guide.

 In 2015 the Harvard Business Review revealed  84 percent of CEOs said mentors had helped them avoid costly mistakes. When the  Center for Workplace Leadership surveyed Fortune 500 companies in 2016, over 70  percent of them had formal mentoring programs at their companies. Why? Because  investing in mentorship and leadership development pays off. The effects of  mentorship are beneficial for youth—both in the short and long-term—and the  community has the opportunity to see a reduction in juvenile crime and  delinquency. 

 Get started on your mentorship program  today! Please visit the National PAL  website for information and to learn how to start or affiliate your PAL  Chapter. 

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