How does mentoring help youth

Kids who work with mentors are more likely to perform well in school, graduate, and go on to attend college and have successful, healthy lives. If you would like to experience the benefits of mentoring our youth, click here to contact us. The Blue Heart Foundation is a nonprofit c3 organization. We serve underserved African American male youth ages in the greater San Diego County community.

We offer a solid holistic mentoring program through adult and peer mentorship, that facilitates positive interactions, education, empowerment and emotional well being which is a critical part of their lives. Support Us Here. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Theblueheartfoundation gmail. Sharing is caring! Benefits of Mentoring for The Child Kids who have mentors experience a multitude of benefits both while in the mentoring relationship and after it ends. Stronger Relationships Kids who build relationships with mentors learn how to set healthy boundaries and build relationships. Higher Self-Esteem and Confidence Many kids struggle to maintain healthy self-esteem and feel confident about themselves.

Reduced Risk of Addiction Research shows t hat kids in mentoring relationships are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol later in life. A healthy mentoring relationship can help kids see college as a viable goal, teach them about their financial and educational options, and guide them toward making the best choices for the future Healthier Lifestyle Choices Kids who need mentors sometimes lack adult guidance in areas of life that go beyond the classroom.

Benefits of Mentoring for Adults While many mentoring programs focus — as they should — on the benefits of mentoring for kids, adults benefit from mentoring kids too. Understanding of Children Some of the mentors in our program are parents, but many are not. Every person is different, which in turn is why mentoring affects everyone differently.

Mentors offer youth a number of benefits that not only help prepare them for their future life, but also makes them feel confident and strong. Whether it is in academics, social situations, or at home, mentoring programs can really make a difference. Mentoring is about teaching youth how to be invested in school, in their future, and helps hold them accountable. It also helps i ncrease high school graduation rates, lower high school dropout rates, and helps youth grasp a better attitude about school.

These findings were more substantial for minority youth Tierny et al. Decreased violent behavior. Mentees in the BBBS program were 32 percent less likely to report having hit someone over the past year than the young people without mentors Tierny et al.

Jekielek et al. Other Potential Benefits. Mentoring has also been linked in studies to social-emotional development benefits, improvements in youth perceptions of parental relationships, and better prospects for moving on to higher education.

Mentoring can help youth as they go through challenging life transitions, including dealing with stressful changes at home or transitioning to adulthood.

Close, healthy, supportive relationships between mentors and mentees that last for a significant portion of time i. Without this, mentoring programs run the risk of harming young people who are paired with mentors ill-equipped to meet the mentees' needs. Specifically, relationships with mentors that last less than three months; where there is irregular and inconsistent contact; where there is a disconnect between the personalities, interests, and expectations of the mentors and mentees; where mentors are unprepared and lack skills to relate to youth; and where there is no emotional bond between the mentor and mentee have been found to be harmful to youth Jekielek et al.

Blakely, C. PDF, 2 pages. Cavell, T. Strengthening mentoring opportunities for at-risk youth. Jekielek, S. Mentoring programs and youth development: A synthesis.

Washington, DC: Child Trends. Herrera, C. LoSciuto, L. An outcome evaluation of across ages: An intergenerational mentoring approach to drug prevention. Journal of Adolescent Research, 11 1 , Elements of effective practice in mentoring. Third Edition. Rhodes, J. Tierney, J. PDF, 71 pages. Department of Labor.

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