Youth Mentoring Programs: What Leads to Success?

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Bridgman
Keyword(s):  
Mentoring Programs ◽  
Youth Mentoring

Bridging the 15 Million Person Mentoring Gap

2010 ◽  
pp. 43-52
Author(s):  
Caroline Kim Oh ◽  
Theresa Stroisch
Keyword(s):  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Mentoring Programs ◽  
Mentoring Program ◽  
Youth Mentoring ◽  
Youth Organizations ◽  
Technology Platform ◽  
New Class ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Isolated Communities ◽  
E Mail

This chapter introduces the history and evolution of iMentor, a NYC-based youth mentoring organization that pioneered the use of guided e-mail communication to enhance the in-person youth mentoring model, and continues to leverage its model and lessons learned to help other groups improve or start up their own mentoring programs. It illustrates how the organization has effectively used technology to add flexibility and structure in its NYC Mentoring Program, engaging a new “class” of program participants: “busy” professionals as mentors and mentees from some of the most economically and geographically isolated communities. It also describes how the organization transformed itself to meet a national demand for its programming by developing and licensing its own mentoring technology platform, iMentor Interactive. The author hopes that by reviewing the experience of iMentor, more mentoring and youth organizations at- large would embrace a thoughtful infusion of technology to positively impact the lives of people they serve. The author, however, strongly believes that the sector must be diligent about adhering to many of the best practices of a good, in-person mentoring program, including screening and monitoring of program participants, providing structure and ongoing assistance.

scholarly journals It’s About Time: Staff Support Contacts and Mentor Volunteer Experiences

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 145-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas E. Keller ◽  
Alison L. Drew ◽  
Hyuny Clark-Shim ◽  
Renée Spencer ◽  
Carla Herrera
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Contact Length ◽  
Mentoring Programs ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Youth Mentoring ◽  
Staff Support ◽  
Service Experience ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Ongoing Support

Formal youth mentoring programs typically rely on volunteers to serve as mentors to young people, with training and guidance from agency staff. A fundamental program practice is to provide ongoing support and supervision to volunteer mentors by engaging in regular contact to monitor the progress of the mentoring relationship and offer guidance and encouragement. Using data from mentors (n = 504) in multiple mentoring programs (n = 55), the current study investigated how the amount of time devoted to these match support contacts was associated with mentor perceptions regarding the nature of their volunteer experience, specifically: the quality of supervision received, the mentoring agency’s organizational culture with respect to engaging volunteers, and satisfaction with their volunteer service experience. Mentors who had no staff support contacts gave the lowest ratings for quality of supervision, organizational culture, and service experience. Further, mentors who typically had the shortest support contacts (1 to 5 minutes) reported lower quality supervision, organizational culture, and service experience compared to mentors with longer support contacts. In most cases, the associations between staff support contact length and mentor-reported outcomes remained significant after controlling for the helpfulness of the support contacts and the frequency of using advice suggested during the contacts. These findings provide evidence that match support contacts are an important practice for youth mentoring programs and suggest that programs should encourage staff to spend time engaging in meaningful conversations beyond quick check-ins. Future research should examine how the content of support contacts influences volunteer mentoring experiences.

Bridging the 15 Million Person Mentoring Gap

2012 ◽  
pp. 1723-1732
Author(s):  
Caroline Kim Oh ◽  
Theresa Stroisch
Keyword(s):  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Mentoring Programs ◽  
Mentoring Program ◽  
Youth Mentoring ◽  
Youth Organizations ◽  
Technology Platform ◽  
New Class ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Isolated Communities ◽  
E Mail

This chapter introduces the history and evolution of iMentor, a NYC-based youth mentoring organization that pioneered the use of guided e-mail communication to enhance the in-person youth mentoring model, and continues to leverage its model and lessons learned to help other groups improve or start up their own mentoring programs. It illustrates how the organization has effectively used technology to add flexibility and structure in its NYC Mentoring Program, engaging a new “class” of program participants: “busy” professionals as mentors and mentees from some of the most economically and geographically isolated communities. It also describes how the organization transformed itself to meet a national demand for its programming by developing and licensing its own mentoring technology platform, iMentor Interactive. The author hopes that by reviewing the experience of iMentor, more mentoring and youth organizations at- large would embrace a thoughtful infusion of technology to positively impact the lives of people they serve. The author, however, strongly believes that the sector must be diligent about adhering to many of the best practices of a good, in-person mentoring program, including screening and monitoring of program participants, providing structure and ongoing assistance.

Structuring a Multi-Site Evaluation for Youth Mentoring Programs to Prevent Teen Alcohol and Drug Use

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikki D. Bellamy ◽  
U. Fred Springer ◽  
Elizabeth W. Sale ◽  
Rachele C. Espiritu
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Mentoring Programs ◽  
Youth Mentoring ◽  
Alcohol And Drug Use ◽  
Site Evaluation

Mentoring in Context: A Comparative Study of Youth Mentoring Programs in the United States and Continental Europe

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (7) ◽  
pp. 900-914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin M. Preston ◽  
Òscar Prieto-Flores ◽  
Jean E. Rhodes
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mentoring Programs ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Youth Mentoring ◽  
Target Populations ◽  
Context Shapes ◽  
Compare And Contrast ◽  
Program Expansion

Most of the existing body of research on formal youth mentoring has focused on programs in the United States, with few inquiries into how mentoring programs have taken shape in other contexts. In this article, we compare and contrast programs in the United States and continental Europe to investigate how context shapes the ways in which programs are conceived and implemented. Concerns about inequality and delinquency have been major drivers of program expansion in the United States, while concerns about the influx of migrants into linguistically and culturally homogeneous communities have fostered the expansion of programs in continental Europe. Through a series of program comparisons, we explored differences in volunteer characteristics, target populations, and how programs and benefits are construed. Implications for implementation and future research across both contexts are discussed.

scholarly journals The Effects of Youth Mentoring Programs: A Meta-analysis of Outcome Studies

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth B. Raposa ◽  
Jean Rhodes ◽  
Geert Jan J. M. Stams ◽  
Noel Card ◽  
Samantha Burton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Outcome Studies ◽  
Mentoring Programs ◽  
Youth Mentoring

scholarly journals Determinants of Motivation for Mentoring Among Adults Volunteering to Mentor Youth

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 174-189
Author(s):  
Miriam Miranda-Díaz ◽  
Hyuny Clark-Shim ◽  
Thomas E. Keller ◽  
Renée Spencer
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Mentoring Programs ◽  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Youth Mentoring ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Ethnocultural Empathy ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Mentor Attributes

Most youth mentoring programs rely on volunteers to serve as mentors to youth. This study investigates factors associated with motivations for volunteering in this capacity, specifically altruistic and self-oriented reasons for becoming a mentor. Because adults who volunteer as mentors and youth mentees typically come from different socio-cultural backgrounds, the study examines demographic characteristics associated with these different motivations. In addition, the study addresses the empathy-altruism hypothesis suggesting that individuals with higher levels of empathy exhibit greater altruistic tendencies. For this analysis, the focus is on ethnocultural empathy and its association with volunteer motivations. The sample consisted of 1,000 volunteers who applied to mentor in 4 agencies affiliated with a national mentoring organization. The results indicated that mentors reporting higher levels of ethnocultural empathy were more likely to endorse altruistic motivations for volunteering. Younger volunteers, female volunteers, and volunteers of color reported higher levels of self-oriented motivations for volunteering. Female mentors, in general, reported higher levels of altruistic motivations for volunteering. Altruism and empathy, particularly the ability to connect with youth across cultural differences, are considered important mentor attributes conducive to healthy mentoring relationships. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.

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