Mentoring Programs Colleen Reade Megan Rouleau Nancy 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 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 –

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 Sisters History 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 Sisters About 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 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 interview with the Seacoast BBBS Executive Director. Big Brothers Big Sisters InterviewBig 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 world OR –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), doi: /etc Elements of Effective Practice Retrieved from High School Mentors in Brief Retrived from Mentoring Programs Retrieved from The institute libraries Retrieved from The latest news—big and little - big brothers big sisters - NEW Retrieved from big_and_little.htm big_and_little.htm Our impact Retrieved from Starting somethingsince big brothers big sisters - NEW Retrieved from ngbrsince_1904.htm ngbrsince_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