Entries by Monica Arkin

Rachael Ellison on racism and cognitive functioning, challenging political conversations, and how mentoring programs affect mentors

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The Chronicle spoke to Dr. Rachael Ellison about her training as a community and clinical psychologist, her diverse projects ranging from neuropsychology to measuring outcomes of mentoring programs on mentors, and how a faculty mentor acquired during her undergraduate studies helped get her to where she is today. Can you tell us a little about […]

The terrible toll of COVID-19 on youth mental health

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By Dr. Stephanie McGencey, American Youth Policy Forum The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a terrible toll on the health and well-being of youth and young adults. Already alarming rates of depression, suicide, and anxiety are exacerbated by the isolation, contact restrictions, and economic challenges brought on by the pandemic. Black, Indigenous, and other youth of color (BIYOC); youth involved in the […]

Does organizing mentor-mentee matches into small groups help? A new study has answers

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Haddock, S. A., Weiler, L. M., Lee, H., Henry, K. L., Lucas-Thompson, R., Zimmerman, T. S., Krafchick, J. L., Fredrickson, G. F., Yetz, N., & Youngblade, L. M. (2020). Does organizing mentor-mentee matches into small groups enhance treatment effects in a site-based mentoring program for adolescents? Results of a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Youth […]

How Youth Mentoring Programs Can Become More Effective

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By Glenn C. Altschuler, Psychology Today This post is a review of the book, Older and Wiser: New Ideas for Youth Mentoring in the 21st Century. Before Odysseus departed to fight the Trojan War, Homer tells us, he asked Mentor, his friend, to watch over his household and Telemachus, his son. Centuries later, the term “mentor” […]

[Webinar] Designing Curriculum for Group Mentoring

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Thursday, September 17, 2020, 1:00 – 2:15 PM Eastern This webinar addresses factors to consider as you design curriculum for your group mentoring program. The webinar will begin with discussion of how to select group sizes and mentor to mentee ratios that will help your effort to run smoothly and to reach intended goals. Presenters […]

OJJDP-sponsored research yields important findings on youth mentoring

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DuBois, D. L., Alem, F., Silverthorn, N., & Stewart, K. (2020). Synthesis of OJJDP-sponsored mentoring research. National Mentoring Resource Center. https://nationalmentoringresourcecenter.org/index.php/news-category-blog/468-synthesis-of-ojjdp-sponsored-mentoring-research-2019-update.html Summarized by Monica Arkin Notes of Interest: Nearly one in five experimental/quasi-experimental studies found that youth participation in mentoring programs yielded statistically significant outcomes. Multiple studies reported difficulties with consistent program implementation. Six out […]

Leaders Say Youth Organizations Have Role During Protests

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By Stell Simonton, Youth Today Originally posted May 30, 2020 As protests erupt in cities across the nation following George Floyd’s death in police custody, youth-serving agencies appear to have a similar view of their role. Their job is to support young people, provide safe space for them and, in many cases, bring their voices and experiences […]

What predicts mentor commitment?

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Drew, A. L., Keller, T. E., Spencer, R., & Herrera, C. (2020). Investigating mentor commitment in youth mentoring relationships: The role of perceived program practices. Journal of Community Psychology, 48(7), 2264-2276. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22409 Summarized by Monica Arkin Notes of Interest: Using data from 537 mentors, representing 55 unique mentoring programs, authors explored what factors are associated […]

Promising findings in youth-initiated mentoring

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Koper, N., Creemers, H. E., Branje, S., Stams, G. J., & van Dam, L. (2020). Effectiveness and working mechanisms of the InConnection approach in multi-problem families: Study protocol of a mixed-methods study. BMC Health Services Research, 20(692), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05553-3 Summarized by Harry Bayly Notes of Interest: Study focused on the effectiveness of the InConnection approach vs […]

Lessons in virtual mentoring

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This post has been pasted directly from the Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) Network. Agyemang, E. O., & Haggerty, K. P. (2020). Best practices for virtual mentoring: Six key findings from a literature review. University of Washington, School of Social Work. https://pttcnetwork.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/R10%20PTTC%20Best%20Practices%20in%20Virtual%20Mentoring_7.2020.pdf Introduction Mentoring has long been considered an evidence-based practice for promoting positive youth […]