The Role of Risk: Mentoring Experiences and Outcomes for Youth with Varying Risk Profiles

Record Description
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation commissioned this independent evaluation to examine the effectiveness of mentoring programs. With a focus on seven mentoring programs in Washington State, the study assessed how benefits accrued by youth varied according to individual and environmental risk. “Individual risks” include behavioral challenges, social and academic functioning, and health; while “environmental risks” include challenges in the youth’s surrounding environment, such as poverty or living in a dangerous neighborhood. The findings indicated that mentored youth experienced fewer depressive symptoms, greater acceptance by their peers, more positive beliefs about their ability to succeed in school, and better grades in school. Although a 13-month follow-up survey showed that almost half of the youth had experienced at least one match closure, it also indicated that mentors faced different types of challenges based on their mentee youth’s risk profile. The authors identified a number of implications for practitioners and funders: 1) Training and support for matches should be tailored to the types and levels of risk experienced by youth. 2) Mentoring should be broadly available, as youth with varying levels and types of risk appear to derive important benefits. 3) Greater emphasis should be placed on the mental health needs of youth and the benefits that mentoring can provide in this area. 4) Efforts should continue to improve the strength and consistency of the benefits that youth derive from mentoring programs.
Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2013-01-31T19:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
http://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/Role%20of%20Risk_Final-web%20PDF.pdf
Publication Date
2013-02-01

The Mentoring Effect: Young People’s Perspectives on the Outcomes and Availability of Mentoring

Record Description
This study, commissioned by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, shares the findings from a nationally representative survey of young people’s perspectives on mentoring. The report offers young people’s perspectives on mentoring in three areas: mentoring’s connection to outcomes, the value of mentors, and the availability of mentors. Researchers found that youth with mentors were more likely to engage in positive behaviors, such as setting higher education goals, volunteering, or participating in sports and extracurricular activities. Nearly all youth who had mentors believed the mentoring relationship was helpful and many were interested in becoming mentors themselves. However, mentors are not always available for youth. One in three young people do not have a mentor, and high-risk youth are even less likely to have a mentor. The report, guided by the voices of young people, offers recommendations to ensure that young people most in need have access to a quality mentor relationship and receive the adult supports they need to succeed in school, work, and life.
Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2013-12-31T19:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
http://www.mentoring.org/images/uploads/Report_TheMentoringEffect.pdf
Publication Date
2014-01-01

“It May Be the Missing Piece” – Exploring the Mentoring of Youth in Systems of Care

Record Description
This report from Portland State University summarizes the discussion that took place at the 2011 Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring, a gathering of over 50 mentoring researchers, practitioners, service providers, and policymakers that focused on mentoring youth in the juvenile justice, child welfare, public welfare, mental health, and drug and alcohol treatment systems. For multi-service programs using mentoring, the key takeaways from this gathering include the importance of understanding how mentoring fits into an organization’s theory of change, having high expectations of mentors, researching and testing the mentoring model, and ensuring that the mentoring program is sustainable.
Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2010-12-31T19:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
http://www.pdx.edu/mentoring-research/sites/www.pdx.edu.mentoring-research/file…
Publication Date
2011-01-01

Researching the Referral Stage of Youth Mentoring in Six Juvenile Justice Settings: An Exploratory Analysis

Record Description
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the Department of Justice commissioned a study to examine the referral stage of the mentoring process across six juvenile justice system settings. The research questions focused on best practices in identifying and referring youth to mentoring programs, the capacity of the mentoring community to support these youth, and the intermediate outcomes of mentoring in various juvenile justice settings. Key findings indicate that intake and assessment of youth should precede referral, there is a shortage of qualified mentors, more youth were referred than were ultimately matched with a mentor, and programs embedded in juvenile justice systems were able to more readily facilitate matching.
Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2012-08-31T20:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
http://www.mentoring.org/images/uploads/OJJDP%20Executive%20Summary_p1.pdf.pdf
Publication Date
2012-09-01

Designing Effective Mentoring Programs for Disadvantaged Youth

Record Description
This Brookings Institution policy memo reviews the evidence of success from past and current mentoring programs and recommends best practices that can make a difference in the lives of young people. The author looks at programs in school-based and community-based settings and identifies the program components that work best. He concludes that community-based mentoring programs are most likely to boost earnings for disadvantaged youth, and advocates for private sector and non-governmental organizations to help expand those programs. He also recommends best practices for implementing mentoring programs, such as thoroughly screening potential mentors and mentees and providing training and supervision.
Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2014-06-18T20:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
https://www.brookings.edu/research/designing-effective-mentoring-programs-for-d…
Publication Date
2014-06-19

Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring

Record Description

The National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR) recently released the fourth edition of Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring, which includes a collection of research-informed practices for creating and sustaining quality youth mentoring programs. The report covers six core standards of practice: recruitment, screening, training, matching and initiating, monitoring and support, and closure. Each standard includes benchmarks and enhancements, as well as recommendations for program planning and management. In addition to Elements, MENTOR provides other resources, including a toolkit and a series of webinars, to help implement mentoring programs.

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2015-08-31T20:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
http://www.mentoring.org/program-resources/elements-of-effective-practice-for-m…
Publication Date
2015-09-01

Mentoring Young Parents: A Guidebook for Programs Helping Youth and Young Parents Navigate a Pathway to Self-Sufficiency

Record Description
The Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor released a mentoring guidebook to be used within local workforce programs and agencies. The authors indicate that youth are more likely to achieve positive outcomes in academics, social settings, career development, health, and safety if they have supportive relationships with older adults. The guidebook is intended to assist in development and implementation of mentorship programs to improve employment, education, and training outcomes among youth.
Record Type
Combined Date
2014-03-31T20:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/FullText_Documents/Mentoring_Youth_and_Young_Par…
Publication Date
2014-04-01

State Opportunities for Reconnecting Young Adults to Education, Skills Training and Employment

Record Description

The Working Poor Families Project released a policy brief that explores ways to connect young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 years old to education and training programs borne out of state level policies and interventions.

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2013-09-30T20:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
http://www.workingpoorfamilies.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/WPFP-Summer-2013-…
Publication Date
2013-10-01
Innovative Programs

Traveling Grannies/Grandpas Program

Mission/Goal of Program

The Traveling Grannies/Grandpas program was founded in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The program began seeking funding in 1992 and the first Traveling Grannie/Grandpas volunteer started serving teens in 1993. Low-income older adults 55 years and over provide services to at-risk, pregnant and parenting teens and their infants. The Traveling Grannies and Grandpas were also involved with the Family Impact Project through the Grand Rapids/W.K. Kellogg Foundation Family For Kids Initiative. Through this project, children ranging in age from 6 months to 15 years in the foster care/adoption system received hands-on mentoring/companionship.

Programs/Services Offered

Low-income older adults volunteer 20 hours a week and earn a non-taxable stipend of $2.55/ hour along with other tangible benefits. The Traveling Grannies and Grandpas provide a variety of services which helps at-risk teens gain greater self-sufficiency and improve their well-being and that of their children.  The program focuses on decreasing the occurrence of abuse, neglect and exploitation of teens and their children; encouraging good health habits; and providing need transportation.

Start Date
Friday, January 1, 1993
Type of Agency/Organization
Gerontology Network
City
Grand Rapids
State
Michigan
Geographic Reach
Onesite
Clientele/Population Served
At-risk, pregnant and parenting teens and their infants
Topics/Subtopics
Employment
Mentoring
Special Populations
Pregnant and Parenting Teens
URL
https://seniorneighbors.org/volunteer/traveling-grannies-grandpas/
Innovative Programs

Family Pathfinders

Mission/Goal of Program

In September 1996 Family Pathfinders was created by John Sharp, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts in response to welfare reform. The program goal was to enlist community support for welfare reform efforts by partnering with faith and civic groups to form mentoring teams to work with families on their journey to self-sufficiency.  Over the years, they have expanded their mentoring program to serve additional low-income clients and the reentry population and broadened their programming to include job readiness and financial literacy.

In October 2014 Family Pathfinders was named a Top-Rated 2014 Nonprofit by GreatNonprofits and awarded a spot on the GreatNonprofits Hall of Fame. 

Programs/Services Offered

Mentors join hands with an individual or family for one year, helping them make the very difficult transition to financial stability.  Each mentor provides a broad range of support including budgeting, job preparation, decision making, emotional support, parenting advice and goal setting.  Mentors support a family by helping them set goals and create plans to attain those goals. In addition, mentors provide assistance with problem solving, connection to community resources, decision making, money management, parenting issues, and emotional support. They are closely involved in the lives of their clients.

Financial Literacy: classes help students identify ways to better manage their money, reduce expenses, save for emergencies and improve their self-advocacy skills in a fun and interactive setting. Using the FDIC “Money Smart” curriculum and class role play activities, the students learn basic steps for creating a household budget, choosing and using banking resources, identifying borrowing risks and benefits, improving credit and saving for financial goals. All students receive a “budget box” which is a portable file with tools to help them create a budget and manage their financial records and bills.

Financial Coaching: Pathfinders provides financial coaching to help low and moderate income people attain financial stability. Financial Coaching builds on financial (education/management) skills to address personal needs for improving financial behaviors. Each client-driven session is led by a volunteer Coach with training in budgeting, banking and borrowing, and credit.

Start Date
Sunday, September 1, 1996
Type of Agency/Organization
Non-profit social services agency
City
Fort Worth
State
Texas
Geographic Reach
Onesite
Clientele/Population Served
Low income families, homeless individuals, TANF recipients, working poor
Topics/Subtopics
Employment
Mentoring
TANF Program Administration
Collaborations and Partnerships
URL
http://www.pathfinderstc.org/