Practice

Black Children and Adolescents Can Achieve Greater Heights With Research-informed Policies and Practices

By Mavis Sanders, Joy Thompson, Kristen Harper, Reprinted from Child Trends Racial disparities in many indicators of child well-being (e.g., school suspension, suicide, exposure to violence, juvenile arrests) illustrate the need to improve Black children’s and adolescents’ experiences and outcomes across multiple domains, including education, health, child welfare, and criminal justice. However, to promote a […]

Mentoring Young People Can Change Lives And Change Communities—and America Needs Many More Mentors

By Marvin Krislov, Reprinted from Forbes I’m a big believer in the power of mentorship. I know I’ve benefited from the support and wisdom of mentors. And, as I’ve written before, I’ve seen how that kind of coaching and support can be both a big benefit for college students and a benefit to those who […]

Reimagining Critical Mentorship for Equity-Deserving Youth

By Princess Asiedu, Emily Lim, & Ossob Nur, Reprinted from Youth REX How can we expand our understanding of youth mentorship in ways that center the strengths and voices of young people, promote intergenerational and multidirectional learning, and advance social justice? We delved into some of the infinite answers to this question during Critical Youth […]

Fostering a sense of belonging through group mentoring

By Joanna Dumas, Reprinted from Partners for Youth with Disabilities PYD has been offering mentoring programs to young people with disabilities for over 35 years; mentoring is the core of what we do. Over the years, additional programs have been added, including Access to Theater, Career Readiness, Youth Leadership Forum, and Young Leaders Rising, and […]

The Benefits of an Alumni Mentorship Program for Students

A temporary strategy designed to improve virtual learning has become a successful schoolwide policy that supports students and teachers. By Trevor Gardner, Reprinted from Edutopia This was a typical day in the fall of 2021 at my school: Brenda, both an alum of the school and an academic mentor, sits beside a student in Ms. […]

Adapting to Connect Young People to Opportunity

We Will Have to Do It in a Post-Pandemic World By Patrice Cromwell, Reprinted from The Annie E. Casey Foundation “Adapt.” That’s what we’ve been advis­ing young peo­ple for years — since the Great Reces­sion, real­ly — as they have sought footholds in an Amer­i­can econ­o­my increas­ing­ly defined by pre­car­i­ty. It’s a refrain that echoed through the first year […]

The Rights of LGBTQ+ Youth and their Families Must Be Protected

Reprinted from MENTOR MENTOR Opposes Discriminatory Legislation and Censorship Attempts Across the Country March 4, 2022 – As an organization committed to expanding and supporting positive relationships and identity formation for our nation’s young people, MENTOR takes a stand against the recent discriminatory legislation that ostracizes and discriminates against LGBTQ+ youth. These policies are a shocking […]

The Pandemic Exacerbated Mental Health Issues among Incarcerated Youth. How Can We Reverse the Trend?

By Arielle Jackson, Reprinted from the Urban Institute Research suggests as many as 70 percent of justice-involved youth have a diagnosable mental health disorder, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, behavior problems, anxiety disorders, and depressive disorders. Entering juvenile carceral facilities can exacerbate existing mental health problems. But the juvenile system rarely addresses, or insufficiently […]

Serving All Students: Promoting a Healthier, More Supportive School Environment

By Kristen Harper, Reprinted from Child Trends Introduction Chairman Sablan, Ranking Member Owens, and members of the Subcommittee—I thank you for elevating the important issue of creating healthy and supportive schools for all of our nation’s children and youth. Please accept my testimony on behalf of Child Trends, a nonpartisan research institute known for its […]

Mentorship, Social Justice, and Paying It Forward: A Conversation With YO Ambassador Yessica

By Kelsea Johnson, Reprinted from the International Youth Foundation Youth Opportunity Ambassador Yessica Pineda values mentorship because of the positive impact it’s had on her life. “One of the biggest challenges for me initially going into college was being a first-generation student. As much as my parents wanted to help me, there were barriers. I […]