Posts

What are the motivations, program support, and personal growth that occur within cross-racial mentoring relationships with Black youth?

Jones, K., Parra-Cardona, R., Sánchez, B., Vohra-Gupta, S., & Franklin, C. (2023). Motivations, program support, and personal growth: Mentors perspectives on the reciprocal benefits of cross-racial mentoring relationships with Black youth. Children and Youth Services Review, 106996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.106996 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest: Although Black youths are the most significant demographic of young people who receive […]

What are the benefits of being a peer mentor for Black and Hispanic high school students?

Opara, I., Metzger, I. W., Dawoud, S., Pierre, K., Assan, M. A., Garcia-Reid, P., & Reid, R. J. (2023). “It Makes Me Feel like I Can Make a Difference”: A Qualitative Exploration of Peer Mentoring with Black and Hispanic High School Students. Youth, 3(2), Article 2.  https://doi.org/10.3390/youth3020034 Summarized by Ariel Ervin  Notes of Interest: Although peer mentoring […]

Three Steps toward Implementing Equity-Centered Student Supports and Engagement Practices

By Amanda Briggs, Reprinted from the Urban Institute Many students of color seek out career and technical education (CTE) programs, particularly programs offered online, to further their education and increase their earnings potential. But previous research has demonstrated that grade point averages, CTE program completion rates, and earnings after program entry are lower for Black […]

New study explores how to incorporate a positive youth development framework.

Rajagopal, S., Harper, K., Holzhauer, K., & Kumra, T. (2022). Utilization of positive youth development framework by youth-facing organizations in Baltimore city. Journal of Youth Development, 17(4). https://doi.org/10.5195/jyd.2022.1225 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Positive youth development (PYD) is an approach that encourages youth to be productive, healthy, and engaged in their communities. Evidence shows […]

How White mentors address social justice topics in cross-racial, community-based mentorships

Jones, K., Parra-Cardona, R., Sánchez, B., Vohra-Gupta, S., & Franklin, C. (2022). All things considered: Examining mentoring relationships between White mentors and Black youth in community-based youth mentoring programs. Child & Youth Care Forum.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-022-09720-x Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Community-based youth mentorships are prominent interventions for Black youth and other underrepresented youth. However, […]

A Reimagined Vision for Black Child and Family Well-being From National and Local Leaders

By Mavis Sanders, Reprinted from Child Trends Despite significant gains toward achieving the full rights and protections of citizenship, Black people in the United States face significant challenges to their well-being that stem from centuries of racial discrimination, violence, and exclusion. Statistics recounting these challenges, while necessary to understand and address the pervasive impact of […]

The Mentoring Effect for Black Youth

By MENTOR Canada, Reprinted from YouthREX Supportive relationships with adults, including mentoring relationships, foster young people’s positive development and can provide significant psychological protection in the face of adverse life circumstances. In the winter of 2020, Mentor Canada surveyed 2,838 young adults in Canada to learn more about how mentors supported them while they were […]

Bridging the Mental Health Care Gap for Black Children Requires a Focus on Racial Equity and Access

By Fadumo M. Abdi & Mavis Sanders, Reprinted from Child Trends  Black children and families in the United States experience direct, indirect, and intergenerationally transmitted stressors that result from systemic racism, many of which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to pre-COVID mental and emotional health outcomes, data since the onset of the […]

Racism, Stress, and Youth Safety in Activity Spaces

By Dr. Anna Ortega-Williams, Dr. Jamie M. Booth, Dr. Dashawna J. Fussell-Ware, Dr. Yolanda Lawrence, Donnell Pearl, Ny’Ela Chapman, Reprinted from the Society for Research on Adolescence From Society for Research on Adolescence There is a gap in research wherein Black youths’ experiences of racism in routine spaces are sparsely documented. In their latest article […]

Familial Mentors May Help Promote Close Parent-Adolescent Relationships in Black Families

Source: Pexels By Janelle Billingsley, Reprinted from Youth NEX Studies show that a strong sense of connectedness to parents may protect Black youth from experiencing negative outcomes associated with exposure to anti-Black racism and structural inequality. [1,2] However, parents’ ability to support their children may be complicated during adolescence as parents and youth often experience […]