Posts

What do my parents think of my mentor?: How parental approval of matches impact mentorship strength & duration

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Shamblen, S. R., Courser, M. W., Schweinhart, A. M., & Thompson, K. (2020). If momma ain’t happy with the mentoring relationship, ain’t nobody happy with the mentoring relationship: Parental satisfaction as a predictor of mentoring match strength and length. Journal of Community Psychology, 48(3), 879–890. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22304 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Although there is evidence that shows […]

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New study explores how supportive non-parental adult figures impact adolescents

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Mirković, B., Brady, B., & Silke, C. (2021). Associations Between non-parental Adult Support and Youths’ Individual and Contextual Characteristics. Child Care in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2020.1865875 Summarized by Ariel Ervin  Notes of Interest:  As youths get older, their networks grow to encompass people outside of their families.  There is a need to better understand how the presence (or the […]

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How to talk to children about difficult news

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Reprinted from the American Psychological Association Assisted by Robin Gurwitch, Ph.D.  Children’s lives are touched by trauma on a regular basis, no matter how much parents or teachers try to keep the “bad things” away. Instead of shielding children from the dangers, violence or tragedies around us, adults should talk to kids about what is […]

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New study shows how family closeness can foster natural mentoring relationships among Black youth

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Billingsley, J. T., Rivens, A. J., & Hurd, N. M. (2021). Family Closeness and Mentor Formation among Black Youth. Journal of Child and Family Studies.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-020-01895-y Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Many studies on formal mentoring acknowledge the important influence parents have on their children’s mentoring relationships. However, there’s still a lack of research […]

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Bullying and its effect on mental and physical health for Jamaican teens, and how parents might be able to help

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Elledge, L. C., Smith, D. E., Kilpatrick, C. T., McClain, C. M., & Moore, T. M. (2019). The associations between bullying victimization and internalizing distress, suicidality, and substance use in Jamaican adolescents: The moderating role of parental involvement. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(7), 2202-2220. Summarized by Jeremy Astesano Notes of Interest: Bullying can have significant […]

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Parents Aren’t Teachers — They’re Parents

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Kent Pekel President and CEO, Search Institute At the start of the current school year, I was struck by the number of superintendents, principals, and other educational leaders across the country who called on parents to get more involved in their children’s learning. I also noted that many of them promised to make family engagement […]

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Why “there’s simply no real substitute for physical presence”

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Editor’s Note: Many of us can relate to this thoughtful New York Times column by Frank Bruni (excerpted below) as he reflects on the value of long expanses of time with family and friends.As he notes, young people’s disclosures about important topics don’t always fit neatly into the designated meeting time. Together time provides more opportunities for them […]

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Practice Corner: Parents are an important part of the equation

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An Important Part of the Equation By: Marty Martinez As practitioners fueling the mentoring movement, we’re all in the business of creating high quality and outcome-based mentoring relationships. In order to achieve that, programs work hard to create great quality matches that potentially can last a lifetime and have an important impact on the life […]

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The important role that parents play in mentoring relationships

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Posted by Kea Norrell-Aitch, Michigan State University Extension Most mentoring programs require adult mentors and youth mentees to spend a significant amount of time together. This one-on-one time is needed to form a trusting relationship and to become familiar with each other. Michigan State University Extension suggests parents be included in the match process to […]

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