(a) The Department of the Youth Authority shall recognize, on an annual basis, exemplary Californians who do any of the following:
(1) Voluntarily participate in a youth mentoring program in their communities.
(2) Perform special acts or special services that promote youth mentoring programs in their communities.
(3) By their superior accomplishments, make exceptional contributions to creating, maintaining, or fostering volunteer youth mentoring programs in California.
(b) The Department of the Youth Authority shall recognize, on an annual basis, the outstanding achievements of present and former wards of the juvenile court, whether committed to state institutions or community-based programs.
(c) Recognition awards shall be made in accordance with procedures and standards established by the department.
(d) Any expenditures made or costs incurred for the purposes of this section may be paid from funds appropriated for the support of the department that are otherwise unencumbered.
(e) As used in subdivision (a), “youth mentoring programs” means programs designed to foster positive, role-model relationships between adult community volunteers and minors who are living in conditions that place them at risk for delinquent or criminal conduct.
(Added by Stats. 1997, Ch. 281, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1998.)