Innovations

Virtual reality won’t fix the mental health crisis, but a disruptive innovation might

By Emmanuelle Verdieu, Reprinted from the Christensen Institute Each year, 1 in 5 adults in the US experience mental illness, and 1 in 6 youth experience a mental health disorder. The US is in a mental health crisis. In October 2021, health professionals from the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent […]

Mentor in the loop–Is there a role for AI in mentoring relationships?

By Jean Rhodes In recent years, my colleagues and I have been exploring how web and mobile platforms can enhance mentoring programs—–not replacing face-to-face connections, but enabling efficient between meeting communication and collaboration. Such platforms also allow mentors and programs to share resources, deliver personalized feedback, and track mentees’ progress.  They are also extremely well […]

Finding purpose during times of adversity: The MentorOn program

Patel, K. N., Lincoln, B., Gomez, L. A. M., Lopez, A. C., Ting, T., Lund, T. J., & Liang, B. (2023). MentorOn: A peer mentoring program developed for COVID‐19 times. Journal of Community Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.23030 Summarized by Megyn Jasman and Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought up several concerns about youth […]

The impact of a technology-enhanced peer mentor referral system on college freshmen

Werntz, A., Jasman, M., Simeon, K., Gunasekaran, H., Yowell, C., & Rhodes, J. E. (2023). Implementation of a technology-enhanced peer mentor referral system for first-year university students. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-023-00303-8 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Although a college degree offers many benefits, evidence indicates that 30% of students drop […]

Connection Over Content: A New Era for Education Technology

By Julia Freeland Fisher, Reprinted from the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative, Social Impact Review The pandemic cast education technology (edtech) into a starring — and some might argue above-its-paygrade — role in education. For many students and overwhelmed parents, virtual learning became synonymous with isolation. Algorithms and Zoom rooms were meager surrogates for authentic connection. […]

Paraprofessional Youth Mentoring: New framework proposes the integration of youth mentoring and mental health services

McQuillin, S. D., Hagler, M. A., Werntz, A., & Rhodes, J. E. (2021). Paraprofessional Youth Mentoring: A Framework for Integrating Youth Mentoring with Helping Institutions and Professions. American Journal of Community Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12546 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Although a lot of progress has been made to lower the levels of youth mental health and behavioral […]

What Great Mentorship Looks Like in a Hybrid Workplace

By Marianna Tu & Michael Li, Reprinted from the Harvard Business Review Remote work has been an adjustment (to say the least) for everyone, and its effect on our professional relationships has been just as significant as the impact on daily tasks. For early-career employees, the lack of casual conversations at work poses a considerable […]

Mentoring Innovations in Times of Crisis: Serving Youth with Disabilities

By Kristin Humphrey (Partners for Youth with Disabilities (PYD), Reprinted from the National Mentoring Resource Center The coronavirus has created an unprecedented crisis which has impacted the way we live, work, and interact.  Mentors are needed now more than ever to support youth during this time of COVID-19, providing comfort, connection, and suggestions to navigate […]

Mentoring Innovations: The Power of Groups

By Nancy Deutsch & Gabe Kuperminc, Reprinted from UVA Curry Youth – NEX Highlights: Group mentoring programs can be effective in fostering at least short- term improvements in a broad range of youth outcomes. The multiple types of relationships between and amongst peers and mentors in group mentoring programs contributes to youth’s experiences in, and […]

MENTOR portal lets youth organizations go virtual, shift mentoring online

By Stell Simonton, Youth Today Social distancing has disrupted social services of all kinds, but nowhere are the changes felt more strongly than in youth organizations that offer one-on-one mentoring. “Rule No. 1 in mentoring is: Do not abruptly break the relationship,” said Kate Schrauth, executive director of iCouldBe, a nonprofit that offers virtual mentoring. But how […]