Mentoring System Involved Youth

Characteristics of Youth Mentoring Programs in Massachusetts. (2004). UMass Donahue Institute, Research and Evaluation Group.
In order to learn about the characteristics of youth mentoring programs in Massachusetts, a web-based survey was distributed to mentoring programs identified through the Mass Mentoring Partnership resource book, Massachusetts Youth Mentoring Programs, and listings of United Way funded youth service organizations in the state. Eighty-six organizations completed the web survey providing information on single or multiple programs. This report provides information on the 104 youth mentoring programs run by these 86 organizations.

Dubois, D.L., Silverthorn, N. (2005). Natural Mentoring Relationships and Adolescent Health: Evidence from a National Study. American Journal of Public Health, (95) 3, 518-524.
This study has two main goals: to investigate the impact of natural mentoring relationships on a wide range of outcomes in several domains (education/work, problem behavior, psychological well-being, physical health); and to examine whether the impact of natural mentoring relationships varies with exposure to either individual or environmental risk factors. It concludes that programs and policies that utilize mentoring ties to enhance the delivery and implementation of strategies that target other well-established risk and protective factors is a promising direction that should be pursued.

Fulop, M. (2003). The mosaic of faith-based mentoring. National Mentoring Center Bulletin, 12.
In the process of providing training and technical assistance to mentoring programs across the country, we at the National Mentoring Center have encountered a wide range of programs and practices that fit under the concept of faith-based youth mentoring. In examining these programs and practices, we have identified a number of broad themes to help shape our understanding of faith-based mentoring. We share these themes here as an introduction to this special issue on faith-based mentoring. The NMC hopes that this discussion, and the articles that follow, will make a meaningful contribution to the conversation about how mentoring services can grow in faith settings, and how community and school-based programs can work in partnership with faith organizations.

Grossman, J. B. (1999). Contemporary Issues in Mentoring. Public/Private Ventures.
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/37_publication.pdf
Mentoring is now commonly accepted as a valuable activity for youth; but good press, good intentions and earnest desire alone will not enable mentoring to reach its full potential. There are still operational questions to answer and real-life barriers to overcome, such as: (1) What are the essential elements of an effective mentoring program? (2) How do you measure and document the quality of a mentoring program? (3) What does mentoring cost? and (4) Where do we find volunteers? Without answers to such key questions, mentoring’s potential will never be realized. This volume, sponsored by The Commonwealth Fund, reviews what the field has learned to date.

Grossman, J. B., & Rhodes, J. E. (2002). The Test of Time: Predictors and Effects of Duration in Youth Mentoring Relationships. American Journal of Community Psychology, 30(2), 199-219.
The effects and predictors of duration in youth mentor relationships were examined. The study included 1,138 young, urban adolescents (Mean age = 12.25), all of whom applied to Big Brothers/Big Sisters programs. The adolescents were randomly assigned to either the treatment or control group and administered questions at baseline and 18 months later. Adolescents in relationships that lasted a year or longer reported the largest number of improvements, with progressively fewer effects emerging among youth who were in relationships that terminated earlier. Adolescents who were in relationships that terminated within a very short period of time reported decrements in several indicators of functioning. Older adolescents, as well as those who had been referred for services or had sustained emotional, sexual or physical abuse, were most likely to be early in terminating relationships, as were married volunteers aged 26-30 and those with lower incomes. Several dyadic factors were also found to be related to earlier terminations including race, gender, and relationship quality.

Herrera, C. (2004). School-based Mentoring: A Closer Look. Public/Private Ventures.
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/180_publication.pdf
With traditional mentoring programs working hard to attract new kinds of volunteers and schools facing increased pressure to help students succeed, school-based mentoring is a promising—and increasingly popular—approach. According to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the number of school-based matches grew from 27,000 in 1999 to 90,000 in 2002, an increase of 233 percent. P/PV has published two previous reports on the school-based mentoring model. School-Based Mentoring: A Closer Look follows up on those earlier studies by analyzing the results of surveys we conducted with youth, mentors, teachers and case managers involved in three BBBS school-based mentoring programs. The report addresses the following questions: What are the characteristics of mentor-youth matches in school-based programs? What is the quality of the relationships? And what kinds of benefits may youth be gaining from involvement?

Herrera, C., Vang, Z., & Gale, L. Y. (2002). Group Mentoring: A Study of Mentoring Groups in Three Programs. Public/Private Ventures.
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/153_publication.pdf
In an effort to provide more youth with mentors, mentoring programs are implementing several promising new approaches. This report describes the strengths and challenges of group mentoring-an approach that is gaining popularity. Findings suggest that group mentoring is reaching youth and volunteers who are unlikely to participate in traditional one-on-one mentoring, and that the approach may provide youth with important benefits, especially the development of social skills. On the other hand, mentoring groups vary widely in their size, structure and focus, and in the extent to which they foster strong mentoring relationships and benefits for youth. Implications for the mentoring field and for future research are discussed.

Sipe, C. L. (1996). Mentoring: A Synthesis of P/PV's research: 1988-1995. Public/Private Ventures.
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/40_publication.pdf
This is an essential handbook for anyone interested in mentoring. It presents the evidence and conclusions that P/PV compiled from over a decade of research on mentoring programs in five crucial areas: (1) Can participating in mentoring programs make important and observable changes in the attitudes and behaviors of at-risk youth?; (2) Are there specific practices that characterize effective mentoring relationships?; (3) What program structures and supports are needed to maximize "best practices" among mentors?; (4) Can mentoring be integrated into large-scale youth-serving institutions?; and (5) Are there large numbers of adults with enough flexible time and emotional resources to take on the demands of mentoring at-risk youngsters? The report also includes as an appendix the executive summaries of 11 P/PV reports on mentoring.

Wright, P., Owen, M., McGuire, F., & Backman, K, (1994). Entrepreneurial Mentorship: An Innovative Therapeutic Approach for At-risk Youth and Diverse Older Adults. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 28, 182-192.
The purpose of this article is to describe an innovative volunteer program which ties the needs of at-risk youth, new retirees, and long time older residents of a rural community in a unique environment that fosters both intergenerational and intra-generational relationships. The program, which revolves around a country market setting, allows older adults to convey practical life skills to underprivileged youth, and serve as caring support figures. In addition to the establishment of inter-generational bonds, these mentors also benefit by forming meaningful relationships with their older adult peers from backgrounds very different from their own.