Evaluation of the California Community Foundation's Building a Lifetime of Options and Opportunities for Men (BLOOM) Initiative: One-Year Evaluation Report, 2012-2013

The BLOOM Initiative was designed with the goal of redirecting black male youth involved with the Los Angeles County probation system toward improved educational and employment opportunities and outcomes. This report is an assessment of the first year of the Initiative, using qualitative and quantitative methods to measure process and outcomes.

• A total of 174 young men were enrolled in BLOOM Initiative programs, among which 91 percent were actively receiving services. Tweet
• Nearly 60 percent of BLOOM youth were enrolled in or had completed the tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade; there was a 45 percent decrease in youth reported as being suspended and a 21 percent decrease of youth reported as expelled. Tweet
• During the first year of the Initiative, 93 percent of BLOOM youth did not violate their probation terms or did not re-enter the probation system. Tweet
• BLOOM youth identified mentorship, experiential learning opportunities and exposure, and supportive environments as being most salient to not reoffending. Tweet
• Recommendations for the Iniative's second year include serving high-risk, high-need system-involved youth, increasing consistency in data tracking among direct-service partners, greater alignment between services provided by partners and the Initiative's strategic messaging, and a more consistent link between the probation department and partners. Tweet