Posts

How to “Do” Critical Mentoring: Making your Program More Culturally Relevant

by Torie Weiston, Ph.D. Weighty events taking place all over our nation have prompted the mentoring world to begin looking closely at how to make our work more relevant for communities of color. Many are looking for ways to address gaps in mentoring practice. Many realize that existing practice often lacks the critical foundation required […]

MENTOR and NPSS release quality standards for mentoring programs

By and reprinted from MENTOR The National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS) recently announced the release of its Voluntary Quality Standards, a set of standards designed for use by schools, districts, state education agencies, youth-serving organizations, foundations, community groups, and others to better understand essential components of quality, set goals as part of existing or […]

What predicts mentor commitment?

Drew, A. L., Keller, T. E., Spencer, R., & Herrera, C. (2020). Investigating mentor commitment in youth mentoring relationships: The role of perceived program practices. Journal of Community Psychology, 48(7), 2264-2276. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22409 Summarized by Monica Arkin Notes of Interest: Using data from 537 mentors, representing 55 unique mentoring programs, authors explored what factors are associated […]

Five strategies for making stronger connections, backed by research

by Jean Rhodes Care for some direct, research-based ideas for connecting with others?  I’d recommend a book that distills the essential findings of many studies.  Friend and Foe, by Business Professors Adam Galinsky and Maurice Schweitzer or Columbia and University of Pennsylvania, respectively. Compiled by Eric Barker, the authors provide evidence-based strategies for handling the everyday relationship tensions and difficulties. Some […]

Training young people to be peer leaders and educators is powerful

By Laurie Jo Wallace, Youth Today Youth engagement, youth leadership, youth participation, youth voice and choice, youth as leaders and decision-makers: These are ideas that are not new to the youth development and youth work field; and yet there are many challenges to engaging youth at meaningful levels. This challenge is a result of the […]

A Spotlight on The Mentoring Enhancement Demonstration Project (MEDP)

by Bobbi Jo Ortiz, LCSW, CEO & Annette Baumann, Big Brothers Big Sisters El Paso A repost from National Mentoring Resource Center Project Name: Northward Bound Mentoring Enhancement Project Agencies/Programs Involved: Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Lubbock, BBBS of Las Cruces (now BBBS Mountain Region) Why did you decide to get involved in the MEDP project? What […]

Research highlights the role of mentors for students in higher education

Mangione, L., Borden, K. A., Nadkarni, L., Evarts, K., & Hyde, K. (2018). Mentoring in clinical psychology programs: Broadening and deepening. Training And Education In Professional Psychology, 12(1), 4-13. doi:10.1037/tep0000167 Summarized by Cyanea Poon Notes of Note: Academic mentors shaped the academic experiences of graduate students. This article specifically explored the role of mentors in clinical psychology […]

Moving toward critical mentoring: Social justice trainings as a starting place

By Amy J. Anderson Over the past few years, I have been involved with Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), a multiracial coalition of individuals who support social movements led by people of color. As a white woman, I wanted to not only learn more about my own role in racial justice, but also engage […]

New program combines coding and mentoring to help at-risk youth

Written by Jessica Guynn and Megan Diskin, USA TODAY CAMARILLO and SAN QUENTIN, Calif. — Inside an aging brick facility ringed by a chain-link fence and agricultural fields, 14 young people convicted of violent crimes are trying to program a better future for themselves. For the last two months they’ve been learning to write code through a first-of-its-kind pilot program at the Ventura […]

College

July is College Access and Career Readiness Month!

From MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership Mentors can play an instrumental role in preparing young people for college and career. This month, we’re focusing on sharing resources that can help mentors and mentees successfully navigate the road towards higher education and beyond. Check out these helpful resources from the National Mentoring Resource Center: College Positive […]