Mentoring

Mentoring is a way to develop a one to one relationship between an older, wiser, or more experienced person with someone who is younger, in need of guidance, or could benefit from such a relationship. Positive mentoring experiences can help young people improve their relationships with school, family, and peers. Studies have shown that children need only one bond with an adult who believes in them to help them be resilient through tough times. This page is divided into three sections: Adult to Youth Mentoring, Peer Mentoring, and Recent Research.

 

Adult to Youth Mentoring

Big Brothers Big Sisters
The Big Brothers Big Sisters Mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that have a measurable impact on youth.

Education Northwest
The National Mentoring Center at Education Northwest provides training and free information for youth mentoring programs.

MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership
The Partnership is a nonprofit dedicated to organizing mentoring programs for children. This site gives information on how to become a mentor and how to start a mentoring program as well as research and ways to take action.

Public/Private Ventures
P/PV has been studying the effects of mentoring since the 1980s. The publications available on their website describe the results of their research plus characteristics of successful mentoring programs.

Solutions for America
This site provides tips on how to run a successful youth mentoring program.

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Peer Mentoring

Building Effective Peer Mentoring Programs in Schools: An Introductory Guide
Published by The Mentoring Resource Center in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, this guide provides information on the outcomes of peer mentoring and a guide on how to implement a quality program.

U.S. Department of Justice
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention published Make a Friend – Be a Peer Mentor. This article describes how to implement and assess a peer mentoring program including potential pitfalls.

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Recent Research

Mentoring Children With Incarcerated Parents: Implications for Research, Practice, and Policy
By: Rebecca J. Shlafer, Julie Poehlmann, Brianna Coffino, & Ashley Hanneman
Family Relations, 2009
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123208218/abstract (fee required)

Natural Mentoring and Psychosocial Outcomes among Older Youth Transitioning From Foster Care
By: Michelle R. Munson, and J. Curtis McMillen
Children and Youth Services Review, 2009
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2630481/

Exploring the impact of group work and mentoring for multiple heritage children's self-esteem, well-being and behavior
By: Phillips, D., Hagan, T., Bodfield, E., Woodthorpe, K. and Grimsley, M.
Health and Social Care in the Community, 2008
http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/4049/1/mh_article_final.pdf

Natural mentoring under the microscope: An investigation of mentoring relationships and Latino adolescents' academic performance
By: Bernadette Sánchez, Patricia Esparza, and Yarí Colón
Journal of Community Psychology, 2008
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/117952601/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 (fee required)

Attachment Style and Mentoring Relationships in Adolescence
By: Stelios Georgiou, Andreas Demetriou, and Panayiotis Stavrinides
Educational Psychology, 2008
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/cedp/2008/00000028/00000006/art00001 (fee required)

Effects of Peer Mentors on Work-Related Performance of Adolescents With Behavior and/or Learning Disabilities
By: Debbie Westerlund, Elizabeth A Granucci, Peter Gamache, and Hewitt B Clark
Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 2006
http://pbi.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/8/4/244 (fee required)

The effects of developmental mentoring and high school mentors’ attendance on their younger mentees’ self-esteem, social skills, and connectedness
By: Michael J. Karcher
Psychology in the Schools, 2005
http://web.me.com/michaelkarcher/ProfessorKarcher/CAMP_Articles_files/Karcher_05_PITS_menteeeffects.pdf
Effectiveness of Mentoring Programs for Youth: A Meta-Analytic Review
By: David L. DuBois, Bruce E. Holloway, Jeffrey C. Valentine, and Harris Cooper
American Journal of Community Psychology, 2002
http://www.springerlink.com/content/358utuyrj5m61x2k/ (fee required)

Mentoring for Delinquent Children: An Outcome Study with Young Adolescent Children
By: Yo Jackson
Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2002
http://www.springerlink.com/content/xg9prmulnu6vxekw/ (fee required)

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