A Research Study On Mentoring Program

An additional weakness is that relationships may fail to follow through if a mentor or mentee fail to show up, or from a mentor cancellation with little reasons why (Moodie, & Fisher, 2009, Moodie, 2004). To reduce early endings of mentoring relationships, and increase the positive impact on youth development, BBBS should implement an effective method of screening to ensure that potential mentors are committed to helping the adolescence thrive over a significant period of time, not just short term (Wesely, Dzoba, Miller, & Rasche,

During October 2017, the Department of Youth Development organized the YouthWorks ML2 Program Evaluation Taskforce to oversee and design this comprehensive program evaluation to assess 2015-2016 impact of services provided by the YouthWorks ML2 Program (a youth development afterschool program in Harrisville, SC.); and this program evaluation was guided by seven key evaluation questions that relate to program effectiveness, efficiency, outcomes, and enrollment demographics as discussed within this report; and program findings revealed the following:

To be a good mentor you have to have great qualities like being helpful and being really good at giving good constructive criticism. Whomever you're mentoring should receive information that is both positive and negative. You want to makes sure you give pros and cons so that your mentee can learn from them. (Patterson) Some social activities that you can do in mentoring programs include talking about life experiences, having lunch together, and visiting the mentor's home for a bonding experience. (Wexler) Although most mentoring programs usually have short durations and are claimed to be a “waste of money,” they are beneficial to girls because they prevent peer pressure, diseases, and pregnancies; encourage girls to be more mannerable, respectful, and ladylike; and results in kids being more likely to graduate high school and attend college.

This study is limited to the freshman mentor program at one high school in a 30 high school district located in Maryland. Data was collected from a representative group of mentors. Interviews were limited to discussion of the role of the mentor in working with the freshmen mentees. Although many high schools have freshmen mentor programs, each school develops a unique program to fit the needs of the students feeding into their school. Data was collected from a small representative group of mentors and they were all

The Big Brother Big Sister mentoring program is effective in many communities because it has a positive effect on youth (adolescents) aged 10-16 years. They are trained on life skills that cover every aspect of their lives in future. It more likely that a youth who has participated in the Big Brother Big Sister program will not be involved in using illegal drugs or alcohol, skip school or start a fight with someone. It also makes them confident about their performances in school and at home and learns to develop health and steady relationships with people. In addition to this, mentors are thoroughly screened,

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches but to reveal to him his own. - Benjamin Disrael This quote is similar to a Chinese Proverb that says “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”(Chinese Proverb). Both essentially say the same thing, and that is, you can only help someone so much until they need to realize they are capable of doing great things on their own. Higher Risk youth benefit from guidance, but once they have figured everything out they can move on alone. These two quotes apply to mentoring because, mentoring is like showing someone the way to life.

In the literature, mentoring programs are often advocated as an effective intervention in helping young offenders in fostering one-to-one relationships (a young offender with a caring adult) and in connecting them to promising education and employment opportunities upon their release Supporters of this view highlight that positive relationship with caring adults strengthens the protective factors which help young offenders to overcome structural and institutional hurdles to having healthy and productive lives. Keating,

A growing body of research suggests that natural mentors, that is, caring nonparental adults, such as extended family members, neighbors, teachers, and after school staff, who provide young people with ongoing support and guidance, play an important role in healthy development, particularly during adolescence (DuBois & Silverthorn, 2005b; Hirsch, Deutsch, & DuBois, 2011; Rhodes,Spencer, Keller, Liang, & Noam, 2006; Theokas & Lerner, 2006). Based on these studies we determine that mentors play a vital role in helping youth navigate the uncertainty of the adolescent years. Studies show that youth are less likely to engage in high risk behaviors ranging from use of illicit substances, truancy, and teen pregnancy. Dropout rates were also found to significantly diminish with the presence of a natural or volunteer mentorship. The use of mentoring programs to improve outcomes for at-risk youth has grown steadily in recent years (Rhodes & Roffman 2003). Resilience research has consistently identified the presence of a supportive and caring nonparental adult in the lives of children and youth who succeed despite adversity and hardship (Masten & Garmezy 1985; Werner 1992). Both natural mentors and volunteer mentors can buffer youth from poor outcomes by (1) providing a

Tim saw this and became inspired to become a mentor with the Helping Services For Northeast Iowa. In order to be a mentor “The ability and willingness to value the mentee as a person; Develop mutual trust and respect; Maintain confidentiality; Listen both to what is being said and how it is being said; Help the mentee solve his or her problems, rather than give directions; Focus on the mentee’s development and resist the urge to produce a clone.” (University of Washington). Since the start of the Youth Mentoring Services in Northeast Iowa, 1,137 youth have been connected to a role model (“Youth Mentoring Services”). Kids who are mentored have ”significantly more confident in their academic abilities and considerably less likely to display behavioral problems.”(Centre for Addiction and Mental Health). Through the mentoring experience, Tim has learned that the best part is guiding some fun into a child's life while educating them (Egemo). Tim has helped a few children become better human beings through this mentoring

One thing I believe is a necessity in growing up is having a mentor. Having a mentor is, not only, beneficial for the mentee but also the mentor. Being a mentor is a learning experience for everyone participating, it helps people grow as a person and friendships are created when a bond if formed. Some people might think it's a waste of time for a child or that it'll never work out for a troubled delinquent but based on the research I've done, I have proven them wrong. Through-out this paper I will provide the pros and cons of mentoring and how they affect both mentor and mentee. To back up my proposal that mentoring is supporting, I will supply examples to answer the question: Is mentoring really important?

Since I was a young child growing up, I have been exposed to Social Services in one form or another. Many of my family members have participated in the social services arena, and as a result, I too have the love, and compassion for the helping profession. Because of this, I have been mentoring adolescents in my spare time. Helping with life transitions that may be challenging such as, transitioning into adulthood, stressful school/home situations, or life, in general, is very rewarding. Furthermore, being able to assist with tutoring, teaching life skills, and forming healthy relationships have been worthwhile, not only that, but beneficial to all parties involved as well.

2. The characteristics and backgrounds of the people served by this program are diverse populations, underserved, at-risk adolescents and delinquent juveniles between the ages of 11 and 18 including their families. These individuals lacked resources, were a challenge to help, and appeared unmotivated to change. A common factor these underserved populations held together were upon entrance to social services individuals expressed emotions of anger, hopelessness, and resistance to treatment.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a reputable preventative program for youth who are at risk of becoming juvenile delinquents. Empirical evidence has shown that the BBBS is a valid prevention program where we can find criminology theories being enacted. Participants are ascertained as youth who are more likely to become juvenile delinquents’ due to their lifestyle, personality and social interactions. This program of mentoring gives an at-risk youth the opportunity to bond with a positive adult mentor who will listen, offer help and be a good example to follow all within a community setting. I believe in this program not just because of the evidence showing it works but in the experiences of my peers when it was first applied to our community. I saw the positive influence in some of the participants but as far as I am concerned, if we can help 1 or 2 it is a good program and I if I remember correctly there was only a few that went on to make criminal choices while most increased their peer support group.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA), is the largest example of a formal mentoring program in the United States which pair youth with other mentoring agencies pattern the largest and most well-known program of its kind. An expansion of similar programs has evolved over the past decade to address issues for at risk youth. Approximately three million youth are in formal one-to one mentoring relationships in the country as a result (Rhodes & DuBois, 2008).

Peer mentoring showed success in a few areas, two areas are highlighted. First area was enrollment and participation. Over one hundred and fifty students participated. Many of the mentees identify wanting to be a mentor themselves, and to date twelve youth have made the transition (11.5 %.). (Crooks, Chiodo, & Thomas, 2010) The second area is the pride that the students carry while being in the program.