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Drs. Renee Spencer and Belle Liang featured in NY Times on the impact of summer mentoring for teens

Written by Lisa Damour, New York Times As teenagers make plans for the summer, several questions pop up. What do they want to do? Do they need to make money? To these we should add a question that might not always jump to mind: Will they have a chance to learn from a mentor? David […]

Mentors can spot mental health troubles in mentees

Zimmerman, M. A. (2010). Natural mentors, mental health, and risk behaviors: A longitudinal analysis of African American adolescents transitioning into adulthood. American Journal of Community Psychology, 46(1-2), 36-48. doi: 10.1007/s10464-010-9325-x Summarized by Jessica Cunningham Background: As adolescents grow into adults, they are faced with a number of difficult transitions when becoming more independent. Transition periods […]

Mentoring’s Promise and Limits

By Larry Gordon Editor’s Note: This article appeared recently in the Atlantic. Research on the long-term effects of advisers is mixed, and some programs are now relying on video-game networks and other technology to forge stronger relationships. Fred Thornhill / Reuters When Leo Hall was 8 years old, his mother sent him to a tutoring […]

Engaged natural mentors can help offset impact of school discrimination

Wittrup, A., Hussain, S., Albright, J., Hurd, N., Varner, F. & Mattis, J. (2016). Natural mentors, racial pride, and academic engagement among Black adolescents: Resilience in the context of perceived discrimination. Youth & Society, 1-21. DOI: 10.1177/0044118X16680546     Summarized by Justin Preston   Introduction Black students in the United States face a wide array of […]

New York Times’ David Brooks: The power of a dinner table

Written by David Brooks, New York Times Kathy Fletcher and David Simpson have a son named Santi, who went to Washington, D.C., public schools. Santi had a friend who sometimes went to school hungry. So Santi invited him to occasionally eat and sleep at his house. That friend had a friend and that friend had […]

Mentor Toolkit: Open doors for mentees with an ecomap

#EverydayMentoring Weekly Tip from The Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern PA  Helping youth network can be frustrating when you aren’t sure how to connect kids to key people who can help them achieve their goals. But it isn’t always as difficult as it seems! One approach that can make this process easier is to develop an ecomap. […]

What is a natural mentor?: Tips to develop relationships that matter

by Lisa Bottomley, Michigan State University Extension When asked about their successes, most individuals will talk about one or more people who mentored them along the way. Were all of these people enrolled in youth mentoring programs? Of course not. Many of them found natural mentors who provided support, guidance and friendship. A natural mentor […]

LA Johnson/NPR

How The Barber, And Other Caring Adults, Help Kids Succeed

Anya Kamenetz, nprED In a working-class city in southeast Michigan there’s a barbershop where kids get a $2 discount for reading a book aloud to their barber. “Any help these kids can get with reading and … comprehension is a big thing,” said Ryan Griffin, the veteran barber who instituted the program. “You know, maybe someday […]

The critical ingredient of youth programs –natural mentors

Schwartz, S. E. O., Chan, C. S., Rhodes, J. E. & Scales, P. C. (2013). Community developmental assets and positive youth development: The role of natural mentors. Research in Human Development, 10(2), 141-162. Summarized by Jessica Cunningham, B.A. Lab Manager, Center of Evidence-Based Mentoring Introduction: Ironically enough, many people who would fit the definition of […]

Research illuminates important factors in informal mentoring relationships

Meltzer, A., Muir, K., & Craig, L. (2016). Being trusted: The perspectives of trusted adults about engaging with young people. Children and Youth Services Review, 63, 58-66.   Summarized by Rachel Rubin   Introduction: As young people move away from home, they often form relationships with trusted adults to help guide them in their newly independent lives. […]