By Jean Rhodes Recent research indicates a dramatic decline…

Brokering is particularly important for more marginalized youth, who face barriers to building networks. They often have limited access to professional mentors and networks, unfamiliarity with workplace norms, and fewer networking opportunities. There's also the problem of connection hoarding. Research has shown the ways that affluent parents’ strategically reserve their social connections to help their own children gain college admissions, secure internships, provide insider knowledge for career advancement, and ensure a smooth transition into the workforce.

mentors trained as paraprofessionals could be pivotal in providing accessible mental health support for young people, reducing barriers, and helping mentees engage with professional services more readily. By equipping mentors with structured training and aligning them with best practices, youth mentoring programs could meet an urgent need for accessible, scalable mental health interventions.