Posts

YIM Mentors: What are the needs of youth & parents from multi-problem families?

Koper, N., Creemers, H. E., van Dam, L., Stams, G. J. J. M., & Branje, S. (2021). Needs of youth and parents from multi-problem families in the search for youth-initiated mentors. Youth & Society, 0044118X211058217.  https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X211058217 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest: Although youth-initiated mentoring (YIM) is a viable approach to promoting a variety […]

A conversation with Renée Spencer

  Editors note: We are thrilled to feature Professor Renée Spencer (RS), whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of the dynamics of adult-youth relationships. In this conversation, UMass Boston clinical student, Laura Yoviene (LY) talks to Renée about her work and inspirations.  LY: As the nation’s leading qualitative researcher in mentoring, what do you see as […]

What are program staff’s perspectives on youth-initiated mentoring for systems-involved youth? New study has answers

Spencer, R., Drew, A. L., & Horn, J. P. (2021). Program staff perspectives on implementing youth-initiated mentoring with systems-involved youth. Journal of Community Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22514 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Youth-initiated mentoring (YIM) programs not only provide mentees with more autonomy in the mentoring selection process but also amends some of the major […]

How youth-initiated mentoring can help address youth mental health problems during COVID-19

van Dam, L., Rhodes, J., & Spencer, R. (2021). Youth-Initiated Mentoring as a Scalable Approach to Addressing Mental Health Problems During the COVID-19 Crisis. JAMA Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.0490 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  The pandemic is taking a toll on youths’ mental health. Although children are not as susceptible to the virus as adults are, they […]

Creating sustainable youth-initiated mentoring relationships in social work

van Dam, L., Heijmans, L., & Stams, G. J. (2021). Youth Initiated Mentoring in Social Work: Sustainable Solution for Youth with Complex Needs? Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-020-00730-z Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Although youth-initiated mentoring (YIM) is an accessible form of mentoring that combines the benefits of formal and informal mentoring, there […]

New study finds youth-initiated mentoring is associated with positive youth outcomes

van Dam, L., Blom, D., Kara, E., Assink, M., Stams, G.-J., Schwartz, S., & Rhodes, J. (2020). Youth Initiated Mentoring: A Meta-analytic Study of a Hybrid Approach to Youth Mentoring. Journal of Youth and Adolescence.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-020-01336-5 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Youth-initiated mentoring is a unique, hybrid approach that has the potential of combining features […]

Profiles in Mentoring: Dr. Bernadine Brady on her path to—and the power of—mentoring

This week, we’re pleased to bring you a short exchange we were fortunate to have with Dr. Bernadine Brady, author of the new book “Mentoring for Young People in Care and Leaving Care: Theory, Policy and Practice”. Dr. Brady is a Lecturer at the School of Political Science & Sociology, NUI, Galway and a Senior […]

Research explores commitment in mentoring relationships

Gettings, P.E., & Wilson, S.R. (2014). Examining commitment and relational maintenance in formal youth mentoring relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 1-27. Introduction: This study uses a social exchange perspective in order to investigate mentors’ commitment and their specific relational maintenance behaviors in the context of formal youth mentoring relationships. Specifically, the study pulls […]

Research applies sociological concepts to mentoring programs

Stanton-Salazar, R. (2016). Contributions of social capital theory and social network models in advancing the connection between students’ school-based learning and community-based opportunities for pursuing interest-driven learning. Paper presented at Power Brokers: Building Youth Social Capital through Connected Learning. University of California, Irvine.   Summarized by Justin Preston In a paper presented in the Fall […]

A conversation with Whitney Mastin: YIM at the programmatic level

Youth Initiated Mentoring, part 2: Promise and challenges in implementing YIM at the programmatic level By Justin Preston Welcome to the second of the Chronicle’s two-part series on Youth Initiated Mentoring (YIM). In part one, we spoke with Professor Sarah Schwartz, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Suffolk University, about the Connected Scholars program. The Connected […]