Mentoring ProgramsMentoring Programs

Colleen ReadeMegan RouleauNancy Sauter

Mentor • Origin

– The word “mentor” comes from the Greeks. Mentor was a friend of Odysseus. Odysseus asked Mentor to be responsible for the education of his son, Telemachus.

• Today– The word mentor

is defined as a trusted counselor, a guide, or a tutor.

Types of mentoring• Traditional

– One-on-one adult child relationship

• Group– One adult and up to

four children

• Team– Several adults and

a group of children

Types of mentoring cont

• Peer– An older child

counseling a younger child

• E-mentoring– Mentoring an

individual using technology, through email or the internet

Who should mentor?• Studies show that overall, adult

mentors are more effective, but young people are more effective in helping children specifically with social skills and assertiveness.

• To ensure the right people are mentors organizations need to have proper screening and interviewing, proper training, and proper supervision and support for the mentors.

Qualities • Mentors offer:

– Support– Counseling– Friendship– Consistency– New experiences– Someone to just

be there for the child

• Mentors are:– An advocate– Someone to listen– Someone to set

an example– Someone to call– Someone who is

nonjudgmental

Importance of mentors• Many parents need to work full time in order

to provide for their families. This is especially true in single parent families. There is less time and opportunity for children to have role models.

• Children also may be in situations where they do not have a positive role model. Maybe they are subjected to abuse or neglect.

• A mentor helps to fill the gap by providing assistance in a number of different ways.

What can children gain?

• Social and relationship skills• Communication skills• Trust• A positive role model• Confidence • Self-esteem

Where can you find a mentor?

• Local schools• Community or

recreation center• Church• Police station• The internet

– www.211nh.org

Examples of programs• Girls INC.• YMCA• The Mayhew program• The Friends program • New Heights Adventures for Teens• The Circle Program• Police Athletic Leagues (PAL)• Appalachian Mountain Teen Project• Boys and Girls Scouts of America• YW Teen• Big Brothers, Big Sisters

– This will be the program used throughout the power point

Implications for Social Work

• Children with effective mentors have a better foundation for the future.

• Social workers should promote and support mentoring programs in hopes that youth with challenging circumstances can overcome and be functional members of society

Big Brothers Big SistersHistory

• Big Brothers began in 1904 by Ernest Coulter a NYC court clerk. He noticed an increase in boys going through the court system and realized that caring adults could help many stay out of trouble. He started a volunteer network which marked the beginning Big Brothers.

• Around that same time Ladies of Charity began befriending girls who had gone through the New York Children’s Court. That group became Catholic Big Sisters.

• These groups worked independently until 1977 when they joined forces to become Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

• Currently Big Brothers Big Sisters operates in all 50 states and 12 countries around the world.

Big Brothers Big SistersAbout the organization

• Big Brothers Big Sisters operates under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life.

• Most children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters live in single-parent and low-income families, or households where a parent is incarcerated.

• The nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”).

• Headquartered in Philadelphia with a network of nearly 400 agencies across the country,

• Big Brothers Big Sisters serves a quarter million children annually.

Resiliency • Researchers found that after 18 months of

spending time with their Bigs, the Little Brothers and Little Sisters were: (Tierney, Grossman, & Resch, 1995)– 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs– 27% less likely to begin using alcohol– 52% less likely to skip school– 37% less likely to skip a class– more confident of their performance in schoolwork– one-third less likely to hit someone– getting along better with their families

More resiliency!• Alumni were 75% more likely than non-alumni to have

received a four-year college degree (28% of alumni vs. 16% of non-alumni).

• Alumni were 39% more likely than non-alumni to have current household incomes of $75,000 or higher (46% of alumni vs. 33% of non-alumni).

• A majority of alumni are extremely or very satisfied with their relationships to friends (72%), family (65%) and spouses (62%).

• A majority of alumni (62%) perceive themselves to have achieved a higher level of success than their peers who were not involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters.

• Adult Littles are more likely than non-alumni to be engaged in their community over the past 12 months, particularly when it comes to volunteering (52% vs 35%, respectively) and holding a leadership role in an organization working on an issue (29% vs. 16%, respectively).

A study conducted by Harris Interactive(R) (Our impact )

Legislation• Juvenile Mentoring Programs (JUMP), a competitive grant

program - established by congress in 1992• JUMP program deauthorized by the Department of Justice

Appropriations Authorization Act of 2002. • But congress continued to fund it regardless of the above act• In 2008 Congress authorizes an annual appropriation for Big

Brother Big Sister to support the networks “effective service delivery system”

• FY 2008 The House Commerce Justice Science Appropriations Committee established three New Youth Mentoring Grants– National Mentoring Programs– Strengthening Youth Mentoring through Community Partnerships– Latino Youth Mentoring Program

• FY 2010 the Department of Health and Human Services recommended that President-elect Obama’s budget include $100 million for the Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program

(The institute libraries )

Policy development• Internal Policy: Recipe for Success• Big Brothers Big Sisters’ signature

approach to mentoring: (Our impact )• A Big Brothers Big Sisters’ match is

carefully administered and supported by rigorous standards and trained personnel.

• Professional agency staff strive for matches that are not only safe and well suited to each child’s needs, but also harmonious and built to last.

More policy development

• Big Brothers Big Sisters provide ongoing support and supervision to the Big, the Little, and the Little’s family. They offer training and advice to help ensure that the match is satisfying and fulfilling for everyone involved.

• Every Big Brothers Big Sisters agency subscribes to a uniform set of standards and procedures. They also receive ongoing training and consultation from the Big Brothers Big Sisters national office.

• To find out more about BBBS policy/funding click on the link to view an email interview with the Seacoast BBBS Executive Director. Big Brothers Big Sisters Interview

Into the future• What will the year 2020 look like?

– More technology• Mentors may take a virtual approach• Less face-to-face• More technologies such as skype or virtual

worldOR– Less technology

• The value of face-to-face has been re-realized and more valued.

• Either scenario asks mentors to be a support for youth and help them navigate which ever world they are in.

References• Carswell, S., Hanlon, T., O'Grady, K., Watts, A., & Pothong, P. (2009). A

preventive intervention program for urban African American youth attending an alternative education program: Background, implementation, and feasibility. Education & Treatment of Children, 32(3), 445-469. doi:10.1353/etc.0.0060.

• Elements of Effective Practice Retrieved from http://www.mentoring.org/find_resources/elements_of_effective_practice/

• High School Mentors in Brief Retrived from http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/313_publication.pdf

• Mentoring Programs Retrieved from http://www.solutionsforamerica.org/healthyfam/mentoring-programs.html

• The institute libraries Retrieved from http://library.ias.edu/ • The latest news—big and little - big brothers big sisters - NEW Retrieved

from http://www.bbbs.org/site/c.9iILI3NGKhK6F/b.5961563/k.F90D/The_latest_news8212big_and_little.htm

• Our impact Retrieved from http://www.bbbs.org/site/c.ddJEKRNpFiG/b.4040571/k.31F0/Our_Impact.htm

• Starting somethingsince 1904 - big brothers big sisters - NEW Retrieved from http://www.bbbs.org/site/c.9iILI3NGKhK6F/b.5960955/k.EADC/Starting_somethingbrsince_1904.htm

• Tierney, J., Grossman, J. B., & Resch, N. J. (1995). Making a difference an impact study of big brothers big sisters Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures.

• What is Mentoring Retrieved from http://www.mentoring.org/mentors/about_mentoring/