NMRC announces new podcast series on mentoring research

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By Mike Garringer
National Mentoring Resource Center

NMRC is launching its first podcast series, Reflections on Research, which offers interviews with leading researchers and scholars about their youth mentoring research and how practitioners can use that information to improve their work with volunteers and youth.

Here at the NMRC, we are very invested in applying more research to the work of programs around the country, but also recognize that busy practitioners can have a hard time tracking down research articles in often obscure journals or can struggle to find the time to read lengthy reports from major new studies. The new series of podcasts is designed to make it easier for those working in mentoring programs, as well as funders and policymakers, to hear directly from the research community and learn from leading scholars about exciting new findings and key innovations being tested in their studies.

Each episode is hosted by MENTOR’s Director of Research and Evaluation, Mike Garringer, and features a conversation with a leading researcher or two about their work. Much of what is highlighted over the first run of six episodes released over the fall months, is research that was funded directly by OJJDP.

The series starts off with a discussion with Carla Herrera and David DuBois about their innovative study to track down all of the youth participants from the 1995 impact study of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Those youth are not adults in their 30s and their current study is an attempt to measure the long-term impact of mentoring over the lifespan. Are these youth who had a mentor all those years ago now leading different lives than their peers who did not get a mentor at that time? What have we learned about the long-term changes in a life trajectory that happens with youth are mentored or not? And were there some groups that benefitted more than others?

So stream or download the first episode to find out! We really think our field will enjoy this new way of learning about research. Look for new episodes to be released on the NMRC website throughout October and November.

You can learn more about the podcast and see descriptions of upcoming episodes here.

 

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