Problem of Returning Home
Upon Bo's return to his home environment, he likely will find that his family and friends do not possess the positive communication and problem-solving skills he has just learned at alternative school. Thus, Bo may not receive the reinforcement he needs to maintain and expand his new skills, and he may regress to his former communication style.

The regressive syndrome is a recurring problem for most rehabilitative youth programs. If a youth's family and friends do not know how to communicate and resolve problems in an effective manner, their inability tends to diminish the progress achieved during the rehabilitative phase at the alternative school. As a result, the youth's return home may simply be the beginning of a cycle of recidivism that is difficult to break.

A Solution to the Problem   
The obvious solution to Bo's problem is to have his family and friends trained in conflict resolution and problem-solving skills. But is it realistically possible to do so without the assistance of volunteer mentors and mediators? Probably not, because schools and institutions simply do not have the financial ability and staff to provide such widespread training.

Fortunately, there seem to be many qualified people who would be willing to contribute some of their time and effort to this important task. But the logistical problems of such a volunteer effort are formidable. As in Bo's scenario, many parents have separated and do not live or work in the same locale. How can volunteer mentors and mediators meet in-person with these at-risk youth and their families?

It is not realistic to assume that schools and juvenile institutions will be able to recruit, train, and coordinate a sufficient number of qualified volunteers to maintain effective in-person mentoring and mediation relationships with all at-risk youth after their return home. Therefore, new volunteer mentoring and mediation programs must be created that will make such assistance available to at-risk youth and their families regardless of their locale. To demonstrate that such programs can be developed, the Partners in Youth Responsibility participants are implementing the Volunteer Mentor-Mediator Project.