Entries by Jean Rhodes

Mentor gets student over the roadblock to college

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Written by Alison Martin Shakyra Ragsdale (left) got a scare when trying to raise money for college, but her mentor, Jamila Trimuel, got her through.  In August 2014, no college freshman was more eager to start school than Shakyra Ragsdale, then 18. Bound for Tennessee State University, Shakyra dreamed of her first day of classes […]

Youth-Initiated Mentoring is a game changer for disconnected youth

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DECEMBER 10, 2015 BY: DEBORAH NEARY & WHITNEY MASTIN, MIDLANDS MENTORING PARTNERSHIP, Originally published in NMRC Blog At Midlands Mentoring Partnership (MMP), our community-wide data indicates that a priority must be made to reach the most vulnerable youth with quality formal mentoring services. A prospective solution came in 2013 when promising research was released that showed […]

Robert Putnum on why mentors matter

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Illustration by Greg Clarke Editor’s Note: This article, which appeared in the October 2015 issue of The Rotarian, provides a nice overview of the issues that Harvard Professor raised in his 2015 book, Our Kids. It describes social capital and how mentors can help redress the growing wealth gap in the U.S.  We Americans like to think of ourselves […]

Bill Russell: We are nothing without our mentors

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Bill Russell, Special for USA TODAY Sports12:30 a.m. EST January 21, 2016 (Photo: AP) If not for George Powles, I would have never played basketball. A mentor who changed my life. Who was George Powles? The year was 1949 and I was a sophomore at McClymonds High School in Oakland. Back then, freshman couldn’t try […]

What we talk about when we talk about evidence

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By Jean Rhodes “Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.”  Ann Landers The summit is upon us, and many of us will optimistic tagline is “Mentoring Works.” Despite this assertion, the researchers in attendance will, no doubt, be wringing our collective hands about the relatively small effect sizes that have […]

New study highlights the top 3 reasons for long waitlists in mentoring programs

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DeWitt, D. J., Lipman, E. L., Da Costa, J., Graham, K., Larose, S., Pepler, D., Coyle, J., DuBois, D., Manzano-Munguia, M, & Ferro, A. (2016). Predictors of early versus late match relationship beginnings in Big Brothers Big Sisters community programs. Children and Youth Services Review. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.01.004 Summarized by Jessica Cunningham, UMB Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring From the Abstract […]