Posts

What were youth development staff members’ experiences during COVID-19?

Woodberry-Shaw, D., Akiva, T., & Lewis, S. S. (2022). Youth development staff experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed methods study. Child & Youth Care Forum.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-022-09711-y Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Youth development staff play a key role in providing support for young people. This study examined the experiences of youth development […]

How program staff influence mentor-mentee relationship quality

Keller, T. E., & DuBois, D. L. (2021). Influence of program staff on quality of relationships in a community-based youth mentoring program. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1483(1), 112–126. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14289 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Although staff play influential roles in the quality of mentoring relationships and mentoring programming, not […]

Study highlights the importance of adult-youth mentoring relationships in extracurricular activities

Chapin, L. A., Fowler, M. A., & Deans, C. L. (2021). The role of adult facilitators in arts-based extracurricular settings: Perceived factors for success of adult–youth relationships. Journal of Community Psychology, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22513 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Although extracurricular programs are known for fostering supportive relationships between adults and children, little is known about […]

New study on program staff’s perspectives on mentoring relationship quality

Dutton, H., Deane, K. L., & Bullen, P. (2018). Distal and experiential perspectives of relationship quality from mentors, mentees, and program staff in a school-based youth mentoring program. Children and Youth Services Review, 85, 53-62. doi:10.1016 /j.childyouth.2017.12.008 Summarized by Rachel Thompson Notes of Interest: This article suggested that on top of mentors and mentees, program staff can […]

POLL: What are your mentoring program’s biggest professional development needs?

As a training and technical assistance provider, I’ve spent the better part of 16 years in mentoring helping programs shore up their weak spots. Sometimes that has to do with program practice, such as codifying staff tasks into an operations manual or revamping a recruitment campaign; other times it may be infrastructure related: a new […]