Entries by Justin Preston

Phrasing, please: New research highlights impact of comparisons using gendered language

Posted by Alex Shaskevitch, Futurity.org Saying something like “girls are as good as boys at math” might come with good intentions and the intent to encourage, but it can backfire, according to new paper. Although well-meaning, the statement, which parents and teachers often express, can subtly perpetuate the stereotypes they are trying to debunk, study […]

Many can help more than one: New research highlights benefits of multiple social connections for bullied youth

Posted by Andrew Trounson, futurity.org Having a group of friends to rely on appears to buffer children from the emotional hurt bullying causes better than a single “best” friend, a new study of more than 1,200 primary school children and their parents suggests. “A group of friends appears to protect the mental health of bullied […]

New research investigates the challenges and successes of Y-A Partnerships

Heffernan, O. S., Herzog, T. M., Schiralli, J. E., Hawke, L. D., Chaim, G., & Henderson, J. L. (2017). Implementation of a youth-adult partnership model in youth mental health systems research: Challenges and successes. Health Expectations, 20, 1183-1188. doi:10.1111/hex.12554 Summarized by Renée Klein Schaarsberg Notes of Interest: This article describes the implementation of the McCain […]

New program combines coding and mentoring to help at-risk youth

Written by Jessica Guynn and Megan Diskin, USA TODAY CAMARILLO and SAN QUENTIN, Calif. — Inside an aging brick facility ringed by a chain-link fence and agricultural fields, 14 young people convicted of violent crimes are trying to program a better future for themselves. For the last two months they’ve been learning to write code through a first-of-its-kind pilot program at the Ventura […]

New research identifies “elusive ingredient” in mentoring relationships: Mutuality

Lester, A.M., Goodloe, C. L., Johnson, H. E., & Deutsch, N. L. (2018). Understanding mutuality: Unpacking relational processes in youth mentoring relationships. Journal of Community Psychology, 1-16. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22106 Summarized by Justin Preston Notes of Note: This study focuses on what the authors describe as the “elusive ingredient” in mentoring relationships: mutuality. Described as “the […]

Want to help reinforce a motor skill? Have them take a lap

Posted by Katherine Gombay, futurity.org As little as a single 15-minute bout of cardiovascular exercise increases brain connectivity and efficiency, according to new research. If you want to learn to walk a tightrope, for example, it’s a good idea to go for a short run after each practice session, the research suggests. The recent study, […]

Profiles in Mentoring: Rich Greif of BBBS Massachusetts Bay on match support, tech in mentoring, and more

Written by Maaike Kroes and Iris Kools Rich Greif is the vice president of Marketing, Communications and Community Relations of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay (BBBSMB). He oversees all the volunteer and youth recruitment, as well as all the marketing and branding for the agency. Rich first got involved with mentoring when he […]

New research shows the link between mentoring, racial discrimination and coping efficacy

Notes of Interest: This new study is the first to examine the association between discrimination and coping efficacy and to look at how mentoring is linked to this association. By doing so, this study provides insight into, for example, potentially more effective ways to intervene and increase youth’s coping efficacy. Reference: Sánchez, B., Mroczkowski, A. […]

Leaving So Soon? Researchers Investigate Why Mentoring Matches End Early

Mentoring relationship closures in Big Brothers Big Sisters community mentoring programs: Patterns and associated risk factors. DeWit, D., DuBois, D., Erdem, G., Larose, S., Lipman, E., & Spencer, R. (2016). American Journal of Community Psychology, 0, 1-13. DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12023. Summarized by Justin Preston   Introduction While previous research has demonstrated the overall positive benefits associated with […]