Warwick Police Athletic League (PAL) is in its 50th anniversary this year, and there’s no better way to celebrate than launching a new mentoring program. Officers from the Warwick Police Department are working alongside Warwick youth in a series of weekly mentoring sessions to promote leadership, character, and respect for law enforcement.

According to officer Russell Brown, executive director of Warwick PAL, it’s “a great way for officers to connect with kids in the community.”

Warwick PAL is part of The National PAL Mentoring Initiative (NPAL), a program funded through the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention. The program connects youth and teens aged eight to eighteen with mentors to engage in structured, hands on, educational and social development activities on a weekly basis. The program is geared towards empowering youth to be leaders in their community.

Warwick PAL mentoring is taking place in three different locations across the city. Officers meet with youth in person at West Bay Collaborative and Oakland Beach branch of the Warwick Boys and Girls Clubs, as well as virtually through Warwick Veterans Middle School.

Diane Ledoux, president of the Warwick PAL board of directors, has been with the program for more than 30 years. “I’m very fond of PAL,” she said in an interview. “Warwick PAL is more than just a sports or recreation program. In fact, PAL strives to develop character and leadership values and respect for law enforcement among Warwick youth.”

Warwick PAL serves the community through nine sports, including football, baseball, hockey, cheerleading, wrestling, boxing, bowling, lacrosse, and travel basketball. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown says it’s been “tough to get sports going, but some down time has allowed for us to shift to provide an open opportunity for this endeavor.”

In a more conventional year, PAL serves over 750 students through sports programs, but with COVID restrictions during the last year, the number dropped to about 300.

Ledoux is proud to extend Warwick PAL into a mentoring program. Even though this year is just the pilot, with 21 mentees, she hopes it will develop further. “We expect good things from it. It’s a positive thing for the city.”

Warwick PAL sports encourages students to maintain good grades and records in school in order to play on teams, and Ledoux thinks this is a “great segue” into the mentoring program, allowing students who are struggling to get the support they need. “It’s a win-win for us, I think,” she said.

Warwick PAL is the recipient of a $19,000 Mentoring Program Grant to fund the new program, including the purchasing of supplies like pens, paper, and printing, as well as sports equipment and background checks for the volunteers.

The program is operating on a limited budget, so Brown is “incredibly thankful” for the ten officers who have stepped up to be volunteers. “The group of officers we have is really great,” he said.

Brown and Ledoux hope to see members of the community volunteer their time as mentors as the program continues.

The Warwick PAL mentoring meets once a week for approximately two hours after school with additional days possibly thrown in bi-weekly to include virtual field trips, Saturday zoom meetings, or other virtual events. Each mentoring session follows the “Growing Leaders: Habitudes – Social & Emotional Learning” curriculum, including activities, lessons, and games that help youth build character.

PAL mentoring held its first session on Thursday, Jan. 21. “It was a great feeling, seeing the kids in action last week and feeding off of the program, especially after all of the work put into to,” said Brown in an email.

During the first mentoring session on, kids learned about the iceberg metaphor. Officers James Vible, Zachary Black, and Jessica Masso explained that like an iceberg, there is only a small part the world sees, and a majority of our character lies beneath the surface. The first session also included games like Disney themed Jeopardy-style trivia.

“It’s proven that if you reach children young enough, you can promote a good relationship between youth and law enforcement,” Ledoux said in an interview. “Some of these kids we mentor from a very early age. I feel that it’s such an important mission.”

To support Warwick PAL, either financially or through volunteer services, visit www.warwickpal.org. For students who want to be part of the PAL services, contact Officer Russell Brown at wpd.pal@warwickri.com or call (401) 737-1800.