Posts

“You got an instant conversation:” E-Mentoring for Youth with Communication Disabilities

Grace, E., Shipman, J., Raghavendra, P., & McMillan, J. M. (2023). “You got an instant conversation”: Goal progress and perceptions following an e-mentoring social media intervention for young people who use augmentative and alternative communication. Journal of Communication Disorders, 103, 106328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2023.106328 Summarized by Ariel Ervin About the Study People with communication disabilities often face […]

Thriving Together: Predicting the Psychological Well-Being of Volunteer Mentors in Big Brothers Big Sisters

New insights into mentor-mentee communication patterns within the context of relationship quality

Dutton, H., Deane, K. L., & Overall, N. C. (2023). Using observational dyadic methods in youth mentoring research: Preliminary evidence of the role of actors’ and partners’ self-disclosure in predicting relationship quality. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 52, 1157–1169. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01757-y Summarized by Ariel Ervin  Notes of Interest: Self-disclosure is an excellent communication tool for developing relationships. Although self-disclosure […]

New study explores “Autonomy-supportive” vs. “controlling” approaches to mentoring

Javornicky Brumovska, T., & Seidlova Malkova, G. (2023). Initial perception of the mentoring role and related mentors’ approach of autonomy support or control in formal youth mentoring relationships. Journal of Community Psychology.  https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.23004 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest Mentors’ approaches to interacting with mentees play an essential role in establishing beneficial and supportive formal […]

[Webinar] Youth Town Hall: A call for mentoring to support our mental wellness and well-being

Date: Mar 16, 2023, 01:00 PM EST Mentors are excellent sources of support for youth, who are experiencing a variety of challenges and issues. Join this webinar to learn about youths’ experiences, what they want from mentors, and how they continue to hope. To register for the event, please click here.

New study examines effects of cross-age mentoring on mentors of color from low-income, urban communities

Quimby, D., Richards, M., Onyeka, O. “Cynthia,” Miller, K., Tyson-McCrea, K., Smith, Z., & Denton, D. (2022). The effects of cross-age peer mentoring on adolescent mentors of color residing in low income, urban communities. Youth & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X221115761 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Evidence indicates that cross-age peer mentoring can benefit adolescent mentors. Given that […]

Today’s Youth Have Spoken–It’s Time for A Different Approach

By Torie Weiston-Serdan, Ph.D., Reprinted from the National Mentoring Resource Center A key part of my role at the National Mentoring Resource Center is to represent a different way of thinking. With the Youth Mentoring Action Network, my work involves critical mentoring at the intersection of othered identities. As an active Research Board member at […]

Perceived benefits of youth mentoring based on relationship characteristics

DuBois, D. L., & Neville, H. A. (1997). Youth mentoring: Investigation of relationship characteristics and perceived benefits. Journal of Community Psychology, 25(3), 227–234. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1520-6629(199705)25:3<227::AID-JCOP1>3.0.CO;2-T Summarized by Maggie Bayly Notes of Interest: Current work on youth mentoring focus on developing mentoring programs, providing descriptions of current methods & programs, assessing mentor traits, and, occasionally, evaluating the […]

Creating safe spaces for youth boys of color through mentoring relationships

Sánchez, B., Pinkston, K. D., Cooper, A. C., Luna, C., & Wyatt, S. T. (2018). One falls, we all fall: How boys of color develop close peer mentoring relationships. Applied Developmental Science, 22(1), 14–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2016.1208092 Summarized by Maggie Bayly Notes of Interest Mentoring relationship quality – more specifically, relationship closeness – is linked to positive […]

Supporting autonomy in youth mentoring relationships: A Q&A with Amanda Davis & Dr. Samuel McQuillin

Amanda is a fourth-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at the University of South Carolina’s Department of Psychology. She received her B.A. from Wake Forest University in 2019 with honors in psychology and her M.A. from the University of South Carolina in 2021. Amanda’s research focuses on studying how young people benefit from […]