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Making Youth Voices Heard Story

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Apr 9, 2018

Making Youth Voices Heard: Teens Work Against Gun Violence in Lower Roxbury

Apr 9, 2018

Teens in Lower Roxbury have felt the threat and impact of gun violence much of their lives. The youth of the Making Youth Voices Heard program want to do something about it. They're engaged in a youth participatory action research project to explore the causes and outcomes of gun violence in the Lenox-Camden neighborhood, as well as links to poverty, education, drug use, and employment.

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Local Youth Insights: Community Youth Survey Lower Roxbury

Youth are a resource to their community. The DELTA Youth (Diverse Excellent Leaders Taking Action) are a group of nine youth participating in the South End/Lower Roxbury based Making Youth Voices Heard initiative, a collaboration for community learning among youth, social work students, youth-focused non-profit programs, and community members.

Local Youth Insights

Community Youth Survey Lower Roxbury on Violence, Employment, and More

In the spring of 2018, the DELTA Youth conducted a Community Youth Survey, using the Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) model. The survey gathered insights from 55 youth aged 13-24 living in the Lenox/Camden area of Lower Roxbury, Boston, MA.

Survey Insights

The Community Youth Survey gathered insights about violence, employment, poverty, drugs, and gangs. The DELTA Youth team further explored responses on violence and employment.

Have any close family members or friends been killed in violence?

Source: Making Youth Voices Heard Community Youth Survey of youth in Lower Roxbury, Boston, MA, by the DELTA Youth, 2018.

FULL SURVEY REPORT

Community Presentation

In June, the DELTA Youth made a presentation of their findings to local residents, to facilitate community conversation.

Full Presentation

Partner Stories

Ruth Wong - Director, EGC's Boston Education Collaborative“It’s a learning process. This can be a launch pad—that’s the prayer and the desire." — **Ruth Wong - Director, EGC's Boston Education Collaborative**
*“It’s a learning process. This can be a launch pad—that’s the prayer and the desire."*

Brent Henry - Founder and Director, VibrantBoston"Rather than gentrification, there should be integration." — **Brent Henry - Founder and Director, VibrantBoston**
*"Rather than gentrification, there should be integration."*

Interview With Brent

Sarah O'Connor - St. Stephens Youth Program's Lead Organizer for Lenox Community"I want the young people who live there to see themselves as being a part of the future of that neighborhood." — **Sarah O'Connor - St. Stephens Youth Program's Lead Organizer for Lenox Community**
*"I want the young people who live there to see themselves as being a part of the future of that neighborhood."*

Interview with Sarah

Cherchaela Spellen, CrossTown Church partner, BU Social Work student, EGC Intern with Boston Education Collaborative"Who knows best about the community but the members who are living in the community itself?" — **Cherchaela Spellen, CrossTown Church partner, BU Social Work student, EGC Intern with Boston Education Collaborative**
*"Who knows best about the community but the members who are living in the community itself?"*

Interview with Cherchaela

The Diversity Tipping Point, Experiencification, Adulting

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2018 Resources for Urban Youth Workers on Cultural Trends

How can busy youth workers and ministers stay on top of trends affecting youth? Dean Borgman offers some starting points.

2018 Resources for Urban Youth Workers on Cultural Trends

by Rev. Dean Borgman, Professor of Youth Ministry

While nothing can substitute for personal relationships of understanding and trust with youth, we also need to get a grip on the bigger picture. We need to see beyond our kids, family, church, and community—to what’s going on in the society and culture. These resources provide a wide angle lens on what our kids step into when they leave the house.

BEST GENERAL RESOURCES

Watch the watchers. Way back in 1980, I found out that the people who know the most about youth in this country are not the youth ministry professors (of which I am one), but the marketers.

So I’ve been following the marketers and what they find out about young people. YPulse is one of the marketing sources I regularly visit. They regularly update information on trends in youth culture.

Two scholars I’ve looked to for information especially in the last few years on trends in youth culture are MIT's Sherry Turkle and San Diego State University's Jean Twenge.

Alone Together - Why We Expect... Sherry Turkel.jpg

Jean Twenge uses four major youth studies that come out every year from the government and universities, so her research is based on a sampling of 11 million teenagers—ample data to back up her conclusions.

Finally, the Barna Group, a broadly reputable Christian organization, does generational research.

SPECIAL FOCUS

If we're talking about youth in 2018, we're already talking about Black Panther and activism against gun violence. But two other issues deserve our special focus this year. These are depression and cell phone use.

DEPRESSION

CELL PHONE USE

Half of Teens Think They're Addicted to Their Smartphones

Teens and Dangerous Levels of Cell Phone Use

Teen cellphone addiction: How bad has it gotten?

We Need to Talk About Kids and Smartphones

Parents' Guide to Teens and Cell Phones

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[Video] 2018 Trends in Youth Culture

[VIDEO] Trends in youth culture, along with conversation starters and resources for parents, youth workers, and trend spotters. Lecture by Prof. Dean Borgman at the Center for Urban Ministerial Education in Boston.

[Video] 2018 Trends in Youth Culture

What are the most pressing issues shaping youth culture today? From gun violence activism to cell phone addiction, these national trends call forth the need not only for new answers but, in some cases, a new set of questions.

Prof. Dean Borgman gives an overview of current issues, along with conversation starters and resources in this class at Gordon-Conwell Seminary’s Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME).

For parents, pastors, youth ministers, youth workers, and all those interested in the development of the next generation.

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Making Youth Voices Heard: Teens Work Against Gun Violence in Lower Roxbury

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Making Youth Voices Heard: Teens Work Against Gun Violence in Lower Roxbury

By EGC Boston Education Collaborative

Youth from Boston’s Roxbury say gun violence is an ever-present threat in their neighborhood. The eleven teens of the Making Youth Voices Heard initiative are determined to do something about it.

On a freezing February day, eight dauntless youth guided shivering Boston College graduate students on a tour of the Lenox/Camden area. The tour route included their own housing complexes, a shiny new hotel, and other neighborhood gems, including where to get the best pizza.

But they also shared with these future social workers how gun violence has impacted their friends and loved ones. In a later shared listening session, the teens opened up.

“I have to worry about my family walking outside and getting shot in our own neighborhood,” says one student who grew up there. “We don’t feel safe.”

“Violence affects the people I care about,” says another teen. “I have a couple of friends that passed away through gun violence.”

As a group, three boys and eight girls, ages 14-19, now meet together twice a week at CrossTown Church, as part of the Making Youth Voices Heard program. CrossTown Church, located on Lenox Street in the Lenox/Camden area, is part of the Melnea Cass Network, a local collaboration of leaders “dedicated to ending family poverty and violence, one neighborhood at a time.”

Teens of the Making Youth Voices Heard program meeting with students of Boston College School of Social Work at CrossTown Church in Roxbury, MA, February 2018.

The youth began their team effort by sharing insights from their own experience. “Violence affects the neighborhood as a whole,” said one. “The crime rate keeps increasing and many teens have been dying lately.”

They also discussed poverty—its causes and effects in the neighborhood. “Most of the people in my community [are] suffering from poverty,” shared one teen. Another reasoned, “There is gun violence because youth don’t have money to get what they want.”

But these courageous young people hope to learn more—they want to hear the voices of other youth who live in five housing developments in Lower Roxbury.

They plan to survey students not only about gun violence but also a host of related issues. Their goal is to hear from the community which issues feel most pressing, to help guide the team to action steps that they can take to strengthen the community.

The whole experience is an empowering process for the youth. The graduate students and collaborators are facilitating, but the teens are making all the decisions. The youth will decide what question they’re going to research, and they will present the results of what they learn.

““We just need better ways to protect the youth.””

— Making Youth Voices Heard youth participant

Making Youth Voices Heard

The Making Youth Voices Heard (MYVH) program trains youth in community research for action. It is a collaboration between EGC’s Boston Education Collaborative (BEC), the Vibrant Boston program for youth, St. Stephen’s Youth Programs, CrossTown Church, and Boston College’s Graduate School of Social Work.

A summer 2017 pilot program with three young people provided early results, paving the way for full-year grants from the Church Home Society of the Episcopal Diocese, and the Paul & Edith Babson Foundation. The MYVH initiative does not yet have full funding for their proposal, which includes work stipends for the youth. The BEC is working on securing the remainder of the funding.

Youth Hub Surveys.png — Youth Hub Surveys

Vimeo

The students will be replicating Youth Hub Boston's model of Youth-led Participatory Action Research and Innovation (YPARI). Youth Hub Director Rachele Gardner and youth residents of Codman Square, Dorchester, co-created the YPARI model based in part on UC Berkeley's Youth Participatory Action Research Hub.

In YPARI, youth learn how to design, implement, and analyze a survey, and then create action steps out of it. Ms. Gardner is serving as a consultant to the MYVH project, prepping the team every week to know how to structure the program sessions. Youth learn how to design, implement, and analyze a survey, and then create action steps out of it. Ms. Gardner is serving as a consultant to the MYVH project, prepping the team every week to know how to structure the program sessions.

After a welcome pizza party in December, students kicked off the program in January, getting to know one another’s stories. After a time of team bonding, setting expectations, and orientation to the program, they discussed:

What issues do you care about most for the community?
What issues have most impacted the neighborhood?
What issues are you most passionate about?

“The issue I care about is violence because it leads to peer pressure,” responded one teen. “We do certain things to express how we feel, and use violence to fit in with other people, or just for fun.”

“Violence affects me and the people I care about,” said another. “Violence is killing people who are 16 and 17, or just anyone. We just need better ways to protect the youth.”

After the youth chose to learn more about local gun violence, they started by exploring its causes and impacts. They identified other issues related to the level of gun violence in the area. So they decided to design a survey about five related topics: gun violence, poverty, drugs, employment, and education.

The teens will next be paired off to conduct the surveys. The group is aiming to survey 100 youth who live in five housing developments in Lower Roxbury—Mandela Homes, Roxie Homes, Lenox, Camden, and Camfield Estates.

Eight students from Boston College’s Graduate School of Social Work are committed to helping. They’re doing some added background neighborhood research and will guide the youth in survey design and analysis. They’ve also contributed food and supplies for the youth.

Cherchaela Spellen is the Lead Facilitator of the program. Studying Social Work at Boston College, she is an EGC intern with BEC and a member of CrossTown Church. She works with the assistance of Amber Ko, an EGC intern with BEC and Greater Boston Refugee Ministry.

Our Goals for Community Impact

“It’s a learning process,” says Ruth Wong, BEC Director. “This can be a launch pad—that’s the prayer and the desire. Our end goal is a group of youth asking what steps they can take to help strengthen their community. We hope the youth come to see themselves as change agents, where they can impact the community by coming up with the action steps.”

Practically, through their participation in this year-long experience, the teens are developing bankable skills—in community research, critical thinking, team-building, leadership, and general job readiness. When the youth go into the community to conduct the surveys, they’ll be developing their social connection skills.

“I’ve been impressed with the leadership skills among these youth, “ says Wong.

These young people also have access to what would otherwise be a somewhat closed community to the graduate students. Our teens themselves represent three of the five complexes.

“I went with some of the girls to visit the community in the summer,” explains Wong. “I went into their buildings with them, and they were saying ‘hi’ to people left and right. We were able to enter the homes of people that they knew. They have a lot of connections!”

““This can be a launch pad—that’s the prayer and the desire.””

— Ruth Wong, BEC Director

While they already know some peers, the youth are also creatively thinking of how to connect with more youth. They’ll reach out to property managers and leverage other community connections. That kind of networking will be new for them.

MYVH sees the youth as developing leaders for the health of the community. They plan to host a closing presentation and celebration event to invite the adults in the community to hear the youth present their findings. Such an event can be a catalyst for more cohesion and collaboration within the community.

Ruth Wong (left) Ruth is the Director of EGC's Boston Education Collaborative and a founding member of the Melnea Cass Network in Lower Roxbury.

Cherchaela Spellen (right) Cherchaela is the Lead Facilitator of the Making Youth Voices Heard program. Cherchaela is studying Social Work at Boston College and attends CrossTown Church in Lower Roxbury.

TAKE ACTION

Pray

Pray for the Making Youth Voices Heard Team

Thank you for your prayers! The team is made up of... * 3 boys and 8 girls aged 14-19 * Cherchaela Spellen, lead facilitator, plus 8 Boston College Social Work graduate students * Ruth Wong, BEC Director Please pray for God to protect, provide, and guide them in this challenging work.

Encourage them by telling them you’re praying! Send a message:

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Boston Climate Dialogues: 3 Fall Events

Join us for three Boston climate talks at EGC this fall! Guest speakers include Mia Mansfield, Mariama White-Hammond, Gabriela Boscia, and Melinda Vega. Come learn with us as we become more informed and ready to support local leaders doing important climate resilience work in our neighborhoods and city.

Boston Climate Dialogues: 3 Fall Events

By Ruth Wong

EGC is excited to partner with Northeastern University and Vibrant Boston to promote practical dialogue on climate change and resilience in Boston communities. We are opening three of our fall sessions to the public, to broaden community knowledge and collaboration with Christian leaders engaged in climate resilience work.

ABOUT OUR COLLABORATION

EGC is one of Northeastern University’s Service Learning Opportunity sites, and this fall we are learning alongside students in a Climate Change & Society class, taught by Sociology Professor Sharon Harlan. We are exploring together the possible impacts of climate change in a Boston neighborhood and how the community can become more resilient to environmental change.

Northeastern also has interest in engaging youth and residents from a Boston neighborhood. With our existing collaboration with Vibrant Boston, EGC helped facilitate a three-way partnership for this class.

Vibrant Boston is a free drop-in program based in Boston’s Lenox-Camden neighborhood of the South End /Lower Roxbury area. They provide the youth and their families living in this well-documented high crime community with support, enrichment, and opportunities based in a Social and Emotional Learning approach. Vibrant Boston programming covers a broad spectrum of services, including homework help, sports activities, career exploration, job opportunities for both teens and adults, and therapeutic classes in the arts.

OUR GOALS

Our three-way collaboration seeks to:

empower Vibrant Boston, and the residents of housing developments surrounding it, to learn about the potential impacts of climate change on urban communities, including their own
become more informed about climate change and how we can support Christian leaders’ involvement with the city of Boston’s climate change initiatives
promote a constructive dialogue about resilience within the community, with other communities, and with city government
provide opportunities for Vibrant Boston youth to interact with Northeastern students for mutual learning and relationship-building that are beneficial to both groups.
encourage Vibrant Boston youth’s aspirations for a university education

EGC staff and Vibrant Boston youth will attend eight sessions of the Northeastern Climate Change & Society class to learn and dialogue about climate change and its impact on urban communities.

“Decisions are being made now about climate mitigation and adaptation that affect how people will live in the future climate. There are significant social justice problems involving human capabilities and adaptive responses to climate change that must be addressed at local, national, and global scales. We will examine how communities are striving to adapt and prepare for the climate of the future. - excerpt from the Climate Change & Society course syllabus, Northeastern University

You're Invited!

Three guest speaker sessions are open to the public. We welcome residents from Boston and area churches to participate with us as we hear from key Boston leaders addressing this issue.

Learn with us! Join us in becoming more informed and ready to support local leaders doing important climate resilience work in our neighborhoods and city. Please mark your calendars for these fall events!

1. Is Boston’s Climate Changing? Are We Prepared?

Mia Mansfield

City of Boston Office of Environment, Energy and Open Space

Reading Assignment: Climate Ready Boston Report

Monday, October 23 @ 3:15PM

2. Connections: Race and Climate Justice

Rev. Mariama White-Hammond

Bethel AME Church

Reading Assignment: Bridging Boston’s Racial Divide by Blanding

Monday, October 30 @ 3:15PM

3. Resilient Communities: East Boston Sets an Example

Gabriela Boscio & Melinda Vega

Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, East Boston

Wednesday, November 8 @ 3:15PM

Take Action

Learn More

Climate Dialogues Contact Form

Contact Ruth Wong

Do you have questions about the Climate Dialogues? I’d be happy to get back to you.

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RUTH WONG

Ruth is passionate about creating learning communities for churches and leaders across racial, socio-economic, and denominational lines. Director of the Boston Education Collaborative, Ruth collaborates with the Boston Public Schools to foster partnerships between schools and faith-based institutions. Every summer, Ruth also teaches at an engineering program at MIT for high school students.

How Are We Doing?

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Hope for Lenox Street: Pastors' Breakfast with the Melnea Cass Network

New in Lower Roxbury--Pastors and leaders serving the Lenox Street area met to consider a wider collaboration with the Melnea Cass Network, a group dedicated to "eliminating youth violence and poverty, one neighborhood at a time."

Hope for Lenox Street: Pastors' Breakfast with the Melnea Cass Network

by Megan Lietz and Jess Mason, Research Associates

The Lenox Street neighborhood in Lower Roxbury is home to many creative and resilient people, but also has a reputation for drug activity and violence. On November 8th, 2016, leaders serving youth in this community met for a simple breakfast with a not-so-simple purpose — to share insights about how they could together help change Lenox Street’s reputation.

Pastors and community leaders serving in the Lenox Street area consider the appeal of the Melnea Cass Network.

Pastor Rolland Cooper warmly welcomes the MCN to his congregation, Shawmut Community Church.

Nika Elugardo, Director of Applied Research and Consulting at Emmanuel Gospel Center, introduces the work of the Melnea Cass Network to area pastors and community pillars.

Brent Henry of Vibrant Boston shares his passion for youth and tells moving stories about the need and hope in the Lenox Street community.

Sarah Gautier shares her journey of connecting with the Lower Roxbury community through her ministry to youth at Congregation Lion of Judah.

Lauren Thompson of Crosstown Church describes the hopes of a developing church plant to impact the neighborhood youth for Jesus.

Not uncommon in the world of urban ministry and action, this was a gathering during a short window of opportunity in a space that was available. The cozy basement of the Shawmut Community Church, with its well-worn furniture and faithful kitchen, provided a warm environment for this multiracial gathering of 25 leaders ranging in age from their 20’s to their 80’s. Each of these neighborhood youth workers, Christian youth pastors, community leaders and academics had answered an invitation from the Melnea Cass Network (MCN) — a developing network “committed to ending poverty and violence one neighborhood at a time”.

MCN cast the net wide. Whether leaders simply wanted to hear about opportunities to connect or were ready to co-lead the initiative, all would have a place at the table — for egg casseroles and coffee cake that morning, and for shared learning and action in the coming months.

This was a room full of people who, compelled by the need and opportunity of Lenox Street, wanted to respond. Leaders listened as representatives of CrossTown Church, Congregation Lion of Judah, Vibrant Boston, and host Shawmut Community Church shared their journeys of challenge and hope in reaching out to area youth. The tone of the gathering was casual, but sincere.

Brent Henry, who works with over 150 youth per year in Lower Roxbury, told the story of “Licita”. A straight-A student, her mother worked so many jobs that Licita had to take primary responsibility for raising her brothers and sisters. Henry shared how MCN has connected him to church leaders to support his work.

Lauren Thompson of the CrossTown Church plant recalled her faith family's experience with area youth. She shared their sense of calling as a church to further engage young people in the Lenox community.

In response, bold voices spoke up first to suggest the need to bring the youth into the churches. These leaders implied that if youth could enter a relationship with Jesus and participate in Christian activities, their lives could be transformed. Other voices seemed to prefer going into the community and showing God’s love by serving the tangible needs of youth and families on their own turf. Others, struck by the weight and complexity of the need, asked for an immediate pause. They led the whole room in prayer for “Licita” and youth like her in that moment.

As insights built upon insights throughout the morning, a shared desire emerged. Leaders agreed they wanted to build a resilient social network that can support young people in the Lenox Street community. The question of what such support would look like remained unresolved.

Some leaders left the breakfast enthusiastic and ready to connect further. Others wanted to learn more before committing. Most agreed on the wisdom of further intentional dialogue and collaborative visioning.

MCN has now connected Brent Henry to leaders from 6 of 12 area churches, so that pastors and churches can offer practical support and advocacy for Licita and families like hers.

Take Action

Learn About Joining MCN

Do You Know Someone Who Would Be Interested in the Melnea Cass Network?

Thank you for connecting us to a potential partner! Please tell us about yourself and why your friend might be interested. We'd love to connect with you!

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About the Melnea Cass Network

MCN believes that youth can thrive and overcome the systemic problems of their environment if they have a network of social support that addresses physical, vocational, social and spiritual needs. The MCN is working to convene local leaders for shared learning and collaborative action towards that common purpose. MCN's mission is "ending youth poverty and violence one neighborhood at a time."

Melnea Cass Network—Committed to ending youth poverty and violence one neighborhood at a time.

The Melnea Cass Network is named in loving memory of the tireless South End/Lower Roxbury community and civil rights activist Melnea Cass (1896-1978).

MCN is a growing collaboration between Emmanuel Gospel Center, Strategy Matters, Black Ministerial Alliance, Boston youth minister-at-large Rev. Mark Scott, and Vibrant Boston.

As a founding member of MCN, EGC’s Applied Research and Consulting team will continue to provide convening and infrastructure support.

Learn About Joining MCN

Do you have a passion for youth and are ready to collaborate with community partners? We'd love to connect with you! Share where you're coming from and any questions you have below:

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Back to Communities & Neighborhoods

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Emmanuel Gospel Center 10/28/16 Emmanuel Gospel Center 10/28/16

Urban Youth Mentoring

he presence of a caring adult in the life of a youth is one of the key factors in influencing a child’s behavior. In addition to parenting, mentoring youth in an urban context provides a highly strategic social-spiritual opportunity to shape future generations and address broader societal issues, including youth violence. In this issue from 2008, EGC Senior Researcher Rudy Mitchell summarizes his research on mentoring youth in an urban context. See also the concluding list of links and resources.

Resources for the urban pastor and community leader published by Emmanuel Gospel Center, BostonEmmanuel Research Review reprint Issue No. 41 — September/October 2008 — *Resources for the urban pastor and community leader published by Emmanuel Gospel Center, Boston*
*Emmanuel Research Review reprint*
*Issue No. 41 — September/October 2008*

Urban Youth Mentoring

Introduced by Brian Corcoran, Managing Editor, Emmanuel Research Review

The importance of mentoring youth has been identified in numerous studies which collectively establish the fact that the presence of a caring adult in the life of a youth is one of the key factors in influencing a child’s behavior. Therefore, in addition to parenting, mentoring youth in an urban context provides a highly strategic social-spiritual opportunity to shape future generations and address broader societal issues, including youth violence.

In this issue, reprinted from 2008, Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher, summarizes his research findings regarding various practical aspects on mentoring youth in an urban context. Rudy’s research draws from both secular and faith-based sources regarding preparation, planning, recruiting, screening, training, matching, support, monitoring, closure, and evaluation of youth mentoring programs. Also included is a selected resource list that provides additional information and examples.

Urban Youth Mentoring

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher, EGC

Mentoring, in combination with other prevention and intervention strategies, can make a significant contribution to reducing youth violence and delinquency. Research has shown that “the presence of a positive adult role model to supervise and guide a child’s behavior is a key protective factor against violence.”[1]

With careful planning; screening, training, and monitoring of volunteers; and sustained, long-term relationships by the mentors, the lives of at-risk youth can be changed. Christians can be involved by developing faith-based mentoring programs and by serving as mentors in existing programs. In either role they should make good use of the research and resources available in the general field of mentoring.

Preparation and Planning for a New Program

Starting a new mentoring program, even within an established organization, requires careful planning and design. It is important to have the support and active involvement of a board, either existing or newly created.

If you are working in an organization with an existing board, it is still valuable to have a separate advisory committee for the mentoring program.[2] These advisory groups can give guidance on how the initiative will fit in with other programs in the organization and community.

Another early planning step is to assess the needs of youth, survey the services of existing programs, and research the assets of the community. From this research, you can define what type of mentoring services to offer, what specific groups to focus on, and what outcomes may be most needed. One planning tool that can be helpful in defining outcomes is the Logic Model approach.[3]

Other aspects of planning are preparing training materials, developing policies, budgeting/fundraising, and planning record keeping. One must anticipate the need for adequate staffing in addition to recruiting the mentors.

It is important not to underestimate how much support, supervision, and counseling that staff may need to provide. Additional support and resources can be leveraged through collaborative partnerships with other community organizations, with schools, and with businesses.

Recruiting and Screening

When recruiting mentors, it is critical to find individuals who are willing and able to make long-term commitments and who will be dependable and consistent in meeting regularly with the mentee. Research has shown that when relationships break off after a short time, the result may be negative, not just neutral.[4]

During recruitment it is important to clearly present the expected time commitment and frequency of meetings with the mentees, as well as the overall expected duration of the mentoring relationship. Typically mentors are expected to meet with mentees at least four hours a month for one year (or one school year at school-based sites).[5] While the commitments need to be made clear when recruiting participants, the benefits also need to be highlighted.

Mentors should enjoy being with youth, be enthusiastic about life, and be good role models who can inspire youth. Good mentors also should be honest, caring, outgoing, resilient, and empathetic. Mentors will need to be open minded, non-judgmental, and good listeners, not seeking to always direct the agenda and activities.

Of course, mentors need to be carefully screened to be aware of past substance abuse problems, child abuse or molestation problems, criminal convictions, and mental problems. The essential parts of the screening process include a written application, an interview, several references (personal, employer), and criminal background checks (including sex offender and child abuse registries).[6] Some offenses would automatically disqualify a potential mentor, while other past events may raise red flags, but call for good judgment and general guidelines.

For programs not meeting at a fixed site, a home visit is recommended. In the screening process, it is valuable to learn about the motivations of potential mentors to make sure they are not just trying to fill their own unmet needs.

Potential mentors who are long-term members of a congregation and well known by the program staff can move through the approval process somewhat faster, although they still should be evaluated carefully and objectively using the essential and standard process.[7]

Training Mentors

Orientation of mentors can include a presentation of the programs goals, history, and policies. Benefits and hoped for outcomes can be described in ways that don’t generate unrealistic expectations. Orientation can also cover the general nature of the mentoring process.

It is valuable to have good printed literature on the program available at this time. Orientation is often used to recruit and introduce people to a mentoring program before they get involved.

Effective mentoring programs have good mentor training prior to establishing matches and have ongoing training or support. Training can cover communication skills, the stages of a mentoring relationship and how to relate to the mentee’s family. In the first stage of starting a match, the pair may need help in strategies for building trust and rapport, or suggestions for helpful activities.

Young people go through developmental stages which mentors need to be familiar with. Mentoring and other supportive services can be seen as valuable contributors to the overall youth development process. The training can also help mentors with cross-cultural and inter-generational understanding and communication.

Various types of problem situations and needs in the mentee’s life and in the mentoring relationship can be covered in preliminary and ongoing training. Mentors can also become knowledgeable of the social services which are available to help with potential problems.

Training can include ways to guide youth in setting goals, discovering their talents, and making decisions. Growing in these and other life skills, can build self-esteem, especially when appreciated and commended by mentors. It is important for mentors to understand current youth culture and the issues facing youth in the local community.

Some youth may experience emotional problems, and therefore, mentors may need some training in basic counseling skills and knowing when to make suggested referrals. During the training sessions, program policies and responsibilities should be reviewed, including regular reporting and child abuse reporting requirements. Programs with an academic focus may want to include a session on effective tutoring methods.

It is important to have a separate training session for the mentees as well. This will help them understand mentoring, what to expect of their mentor, and give practical suggestions on communication and activities.

Making Matches

The mentoring program needs to develop a weighted list of criteria for matching youth with mentors, criteria that correspond to the program’s priorities. While various criteria can be important, often the general quality of being an understanding listener turns out to make the most difference in developing a relationship.[8]

Basic criteria that can be critical include compatible time schedules and geographic proximity. If the mentoring involves social activities, it can be helpful to have common interests, hobbies, or recreational activities.

In more specialized programs, it may be necessary to match a youth who has certain career interests or academic needs with a mentor from that career field or academic skill set. Other criteria often considered in making matches are gender, language, race, cultural background, and life experiences.

It is also valuable to consider personality and temperament in making a match. Some complex personal qualities may be best sensed by intuition. Depending on the goals and values of the program, some criteria should be weighted more heavily than others.

The parents of the youth are generally given a voice in the process of choosing and approving a mentor. In any case written parental permission for general participation is necessary. Programs can also consider input and preferences from mentees and mentors.

Once the match is decided, the program should arrange a formal meeting for introduction at the organizational site. This meeting can include some icebreakers or activities, and can include a group of newly matched pairs.

Typically the best initial foundation of a good relationship is trust and friendship rather than achieving goals and tasks. “Research has found that mentoring relationships that focus on trying to change the young person too quickly are less appealing to youth and less effective. Relationships focused on developing trust and friendship are almost always more beneficial.”[9] Thus the initial activities and focus should seek to foster communication, trust, and rapport, rather than just accomplish tasks.

Ongoing Support, Training, and Monitoring

Ongoing support is one of the most important elements in a successful mentoring program. Mentors should be contacted within two weeks of the beginning of the relationship.[10] Program staff should then continue to maintain regular, personal communication weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly with the mentors.

In order to give adequate support it is recommended that a 20 to 1 ratio be maintained between mentors and support staff.[11] These personal contacts can help intervene to clear up misunderstandings, provide insights regarding cultural differences, and give encouragement.

In addition to good communication, the program can arrange regular meetings of mentors for discussion of problems, sharing ideas, and giving recognition and appreciation. Some of these mentor meetings can include additional training on issues facing a number of the mentors or youth.

Experienced mentors can help in training newer mentors. Online support groups could also be used to share ideas, ask questions, and discuss issues. Support staff may occasionally need to work out a new match, if the original match has been given plenty of time and effort, but is just not working out.

Closure and Evaluation

The mentoring program needs to have flexible procedures and support services to handle the closure of a match. A mentoring relationship may end naturally as a school year ends, or when one of the pair moves away. However, it may also end because of problems, incompatibility, disinterest, or violation of rules.

Because of the variety of reasons relationships end, the program needs to tailor its approaches to giving closure and support to the youth, mentor, and the family. It is just as important for the match to have a good closure as to have a good beginning.

Exit interviews are often used in closing a relationship. These may involve the mentor and mentee together or separately. Generally there should be a meeting with the family as well. These meetings can be a constructive learning experience, as reasons for the termination are clarified and discussed in a positive way. The youth should be encouraged to share feelings about what went well and what could have been improved.

It is helpful for the mentor and mentee to share what they enjoyed most in the relationship. When the match ends because the mentor is no longer able to continue, it is especially important to reassure the youth that the ending is not due to anything he or she did. Where appropriate, the staff can discuss possible future matches in the current program, or elsewhere (if one participant is moving).

Exit interviews can also play a valuable role in evaluation. Program evaluation can be done by your own staff, using or adapting the many survey tools available,[12] or by an outside evaluator (possibly drawing on an university department or a grad student intern).

One can evaluate the effectiveness of various processes of implementing the overall program, but it is even more important to evaluate the goals and outcomes you have established for and with the youth. These outcomes can guide the choice of measures and data needed for evaluation.

Typically, a baseline of information should be gathered when youth begin, and then progress can be measured after the matches have been going at least six months to a year.[13] If possible, try to also get information on a comparable group which was not mentored. Data sources may include the youth, mentors, family, school records, teachers, and police.

Don’t assume your program was the only cause of any improvement. However, as you follow the guidelines for effective practices and work collaboratively with the youths’ families, other organizations serving youth, and the schools, you can expect to see a positive difference in the lives of young people.

Footnotes

¹ Timothy N. Thornton., Carole A. Craf, Linda L. Dahlberg, Barbara S. Lynch, and Katie Baer, Youth Violence Prevention: A Sourcebook for Community Action (New York: Novinka Books, 2006), 150.

² Michael Garringer and Pattti McRae, editors. Foundations of Successful Youth Mentoring, rev. ed. (Washington, D. C.: Hamilton Fish Institute and the National Mentoring Center, 2007), 8.

³ W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Logic Model Development Guide, http://www.wkkf.org/Pubs/Tools/Evaluation/Pub3669.pdf (14 Nov. 2008).

⁴ D.L. DuBois, B.E. Holloway, J.C. Valentine, and H. Cooper. “Effectiveness of Mentoring Programs for Youth: A Meta-Analytic Review.” American Journal of Community Psychology 30, no. 2 (April 2002):157-197.

⁵ National Mentoring Partnership, How to Build a Successful Mentoring Program Using the Elements of Effective Practice (Alexandria, Vir.: National Mentoring Partnership, 2005), 10.

⁶ Garringer and McRae, 29.

⁷ Shawn Bauldry, and Tracey A. Hartmann, The Promise and Challenge of Mentoring High-Risk Youth: Findings from the National Faith-Based Initiative (Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures, n.d.), 14-15.

⁸ Maureen A. Buckley and Sandra Hundley Zimmermann, Mentoring Children and Adolescents: A Guide to the Issues (Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 2003), 43.

⁹ Bauldry, and Hartmann, The Promise and Challenge of Mentoring High-Risk Youth, 20.

¹⁰ National Mentoring Partnership, How to Build a Successful Mentoring Program Using the Elements of Effective Practice, 105.

¹¹ Timothy N. Thornton., et al, Youth Violence Prevention, 171.

¹² National Mentoring Partnership, How to Build a Successful Mentoring Program Using the Elements of Effective Practice, 171-172. 13 Garringer and McRae, 58.

Resources and Links

Buckley, Maureen A., and Sandra Hundley Zimmerman. Mentoring Children and Adolescents: A Guide to the Issues. Contemporary Youth Issues. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 2003.

This is a practical and comprehensive handbook which includes sample mentor and mentee applications, a full sample grant proposal/program design, and detailed quality standards for effective programs. The authors provide an annotated list of print and non-print resources, as well as detailed information on state and national organizations and key people. Several chapters give an overview of practical aspects of formal mentoring programs and summarize facts and research studies.

Dortch, Thomas W., Jr., and The 100 Black Men of America, Inc. The Miracles of Mentoring: How to Encourage and Lead Future Generations. New York: Broadway Books, 2001.

Drury, K.W., editor. Successful Youth Mentoring: Twenty-four Practical Sessions to Impact Kid’s Lives. Loveland, Calif.: Group Publishing, 1998.

DuBois, D.L., B.E. Holloway, J.C. Valentine, and H. Cooper. “Effectiveness of Mentoring Programs for Youth: A Meta-Analytic Review.” American Journal of Community Psychology 30, no. 2 (April 2002):157-197.

The authors reviewed 55 research evaluations of mentoring programs. They found that disadvantaged and at-risk youth benefit most from mentoring. Significant positive effects depend on the use of best practices and developing strong relationships. Poorly implemented programs can have a negative effect on youth; therefore, it is important for programs to use effective methods of planning, implementation, and evaluation.

Dubois, David L., and Michael J. Karcher, editors. Handbook of Youth Mentoring. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2005.

This is one of the most comprehensive recent works on the theory, research, and practice of mentoring youth. Under the section on theory and frameworks, Jean Rhodes presents a theoretical model of mentoring where relationships of mutuality, trust, and empathy promote social-emotional, cognitive, and identity development. For formal mentoring programs, the handbook gives useful material on developing and evaluating a program, and on recruiting and sustaining volunteers. In addition to covering various types of mentoring (natural, cross-age, intergenerational, e- mentoring), the book also considers mentoring in various contexts (schools, work, after-school, faith-based organizations, and international settings), and with specific groups (at-risk students, juvenile offenders, gifted youth, pregnant/parenting adolescents, abused youth, and youth with disabilities).

Freedman, Marc. The Kindness of Strangers: Adult Mentors, Urban Youth, and the New Voluntarism. Revised ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Over three hundred interviews were conducted to produce this important work on urban youth mentoring. It distills guidelines and principles for effective mentoring programs and gives overviews of some mentoring efforts around the country. While realistically looking at pitfalls and problems, the book offers a hopeful perspective on mentoring as one important part of the solution to youth violence and other problems.

Hall, Horace R. Mentoring Young Men of Color: Meeting the Needs of African American and Latino Students. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2006.

Hall advocates mentoring and other strategies to channel care and concern for young men to enable them to reach their potential despite the challenges they face.

National Mentoring Center—http://www.nwrel.org/mentoring/index.php

The National Mentoring Center (NMC) has been serving youth mentoring programs of all types since 1999. Originally created by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the National Mentoring Center offers training, resources, and online information services to the entire mentoring field. The NMC now houses the LEARNS project, which provides training and technical assistance to mentoring projects supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The NMC also works in partnership with EMT Associates to manage the Mentoring Resource Center.

Foundations of Successful Youth Mentoring is the Center’s cornerstone resource for developing all types of youth mentoring programs across a variety of settings. It is a useful resource for start-up efforts and established programs alike. This 114 page guidebook is available free from the website, and covers all aspects of developing a mentoring program, with included charts and sample forms.

National Mentoring Partnership/MENTOR—www.mentoring.org

An advocate and resource for the expansion of quality mentoring initiatives nationwide. This networking organization builds and supports state mentoring partnerships, sponsors the National Mentoring Institute, develops resources like the Elements of Effective Practice, and encourages research and support for mentoring. The website makes available many great resources including:

Elements of Effective Practice, guidelines and detailed action steps developed by leading national authorities on mentoring. They were recently revised, taking into account solid research to help mentoring programs plan effective organizations that will nurture quality, enduring mentoring relationships. Available free at: http://www.mentoring.org/downloads/mentoring_411.pdf.

How to Build a Successful Mentoring Program Using the Elements of Effective Practice. While the previous resource provides a detailed outline, this handbook discusses in detail the considerations and methods of carrying out the steps needed to develop a quality mentoring program. It covers design and planning, managing, implementing, and evaluating the program. Many specific forms, handouts, lists, and guidelines are included, esp. on the CD. This 188 page “toolkit” handbook can be downloaded free at www.mentoring.org/eeptoolkit or purchased in print and CD format.

The Mass Mentoring Partnership (Mass Mentoring)—www.massmentors.org is the state partner of the National Mentoring partnership.

Rhodes, Jean. E. Stand By Me: The Risks and Rewards of Mentoring Today’s Youth. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2002.

Rhodes draws on her own research and also an analysis of research by Public Private Ventures to inform her well-written study. Well trained mentors who develop good, long-term mentoring relationships can make a difference in the lives of at-risk youth by improving their social skills, develop their thinking and academic skills through dialog, and by serving as advocates and role models. She also provides cautions about the risks of ineffective and damaging mentoring relationships.

Sipe, Cynthia L. Mentoring: A Synthesis of P/PV’s Research, 1988-1995. Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures, 1996. Available as a free download at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org.

In addition to reviewing the major findings of Public/Private Ventures’ mentoring research, this synthesis summarizes ten different research reports of the period.

Thornton, T. N., C.A. Craf, L. L. Dahlberg, B.S. Lynch, and K. Baer. Youth Violence Prevention: A Sourcebook for Community Action. New York: Novinka Books, 2006. See pages 149-192.

One of the four major strategies to prevent youth violence covered in this sourcebook is mentoring. The material here is especially helpful because it reviews and summarizes a wide range of research and resources. It surveys community-based and site-based mentoring with reviews of research on Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Norwalk Mentor Program. It deals with staff and mentor recruiting and training principles and resources, goal setting, activities, and evaluation. The guide to books, research, training materials, and organizations offers many useful resources.

Find more youth mentoring resources at Culture and Youth Studies: http://cultureandyouth.org/mentoring/

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