Entries by Jean Rhodes

New Study Suggests Adolescent Friendships Linked to Adult Health

Tom Jacobs, Pacific Standard For most people, adolescence is a period of life marked by intense friendships, as well as a strong bias toward conformity. Fitting in with our peers is an urgent need, and we’re generally willing to damp down our individuality in order to do so. Newly published research suggests there is a […]

The Narrative of Privilege

By Atif Kukaswadia, PhD Posted: August 24, 2015 Public Health Perspectives ‘Miss,’ she said, as I bit my tongue. I was choking on the worst insult a female junior doctor can bear, ‘I know that crystal meth is really my problem. I’m going to quit the meth.’ ‘Love,’ I started, a reflex term of endearment for […]

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada announces new president and CEO

August 17, 2015 – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC) Board Chair, Bill Adams is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Coleridge as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective October 12, 2015.  Prior to joining BBBSC, Mr. Coleridge was the  National CEO, Canadian Mental Health Association where he led the development and implementation […]

UK study explores mentoring the siblings of gang members

Medina, J., Ralphs, R., & Aldridge, J. (2012). Mentoring siblings of gang members: A template for reaching families of gang members? Children & Society, 26, 14-24. Problem: Mentoring components have been incorporated into programs across the U.S. to aid in community gang prevention. The current study investigates some of the larger issues surrounding these mentoring […]

Andy Mecca on the Mentoring Today podcast

Listen to Vince Reardon, host of Mentoring Today, interview Andy Mecca on “Providing Youth with Tools for a Lifetime of Achievement” on Thursday, August 20 at 2:00 p.m. ET on Blog Talk Radio. Mecca is uniquely qualified to discuss guiding youth to achievement. He is author of 12 books about youth development, drug prevention, and mentoring young adults, including […]

My mentor kisses pigs: Does Your Mentor Go to Great Lengths?

by Elizabeth Brajevich, Undergradate at Michigan State University Dr.  Laurie Thorp is the director of RISE, the Residential Initiative on the Study of the Environment at my college, Michigan State University. She has been my academic adviser, teacher, and mentor for three years. My ears perked up when she announced an opportunity for my freshman year cohort […]

Talk about problems? Boys say why bother.

U. MISSOURI (US) — Boys avoid discussing problems not because of some sense of embarrassment, but because they believe that doing so is a waste of time, according to a new study. “For years, popular psychologists have insisted that boys and men would like to talk about their problems but are held back by fears […]

The perils of “Growth Mindset” education

By ALFIE KOHN reposted from Salon.com One of the most popular ideas in education these days can be summarized in a single sentence (a fact that may help to account for its popularity).  Here’s the sentence: Kids tend to fare better when they regard intelligence and other abilities not as fixed traits that they either have or […]

New video underscores importance of children’s relationships

From the Harvard Center for the Developing Child Science tells us that the foundations of sound mental health are built early in life. Early experiences—including children’s relationships with parents, caregivers, relatives, teachers, and peers—interact with genes to shape the architecture of the developing brain. Disruptions in this developmental process can impair a child’s capacities for […]

What we can learn from community psychology and public health

 by Jean Rhodes As mentoring programs gear up for the fall, many face the problem of long waitlists, resulting from shortages of volunteers (especially men of color). Efforts to mobilize caring adults can increase capacity but volunteer pools often remain limited by the cost of outreach and the growing (and sizable) gap between the number […]