The document summarizes key points from a seminar on youth mentoring programs. It discusses the importance of mutual trust and empathy between mentors and mentees. A successful ratio of effort is recommended at 60-40 or 70-30 mentor to mentee. Program design, management, operations and evaluation are also outlined as important components. Best practices like screening mentors, training, and ongoing support are highlighted.
1. Result of DFSS* youth mentoring
seminar on April 26, 2013
*Department of Family and Support Services
2.
3. Professor of Community Health Sciences at
UIC
Specializes in self-esteem and mentoring
relationships in relation to resilience and
holistic positive development
Received grants from National Institute of
Health, DHHS Office of Minority Health and
Institute of Education services
5. Both sides must work and advance the
relationship
Emphasizes that the mentor must not be
putting in all of the effort
60/40 or 70/30 ratio of mentor/mentee effort
advised
Too much is too authoritarian, too little is
perceived as disinterest
6. Mentor should place initial effort into
developing a genuine relationship with the
mentee
Trust must be gained organically
These actions can be perceived as overbearing
or even overstepping boundaries
Buying gifts
Acting as if their savior
7. Sympathy feel natural, can actually hurt
mentee
Mentors have to truly understand mentees
Successful empathy from the mentor can lead
to long-term emotional stability
8. Have a strong, explicit focus on promoting
positive youth development
Conduct regular reviews of youth progress,
including intensive case conferences
Encourage collective mentoring
Use training sessions as a means of promoting
reflective dialogue among staff
9. Have Staff observe other good after-school
programs to learn more about best practices
Form youth councils to make sure youth voice
is heard
Schedule regular external review and site visits
Require leadership to engage in regular
supervision and coaching
10. Social and Emotional development
Cognitive development
Identity development
Child’s Interpersonal Development
11. Integrative strategy designed around the goal
of promoting positive youth development
Guide organizations through regular
communication, collective mentoring and
thoughtful discussion.
Inspire ongoing reflection and improvement of
practice
14. Program Design and Planning
Program Management
Program Operations
Program Evaluation
15. First – and the key – step to building a program
Design = blueprint for all other aspects of
program
Number of decisions with have been made at
the conclusion of this step
16. Decisions are based on:
Youth populations that will be served
Types of mentors (senior citizens, college students)
Program goals
Setting of program
How to promote program
17. A well managed program is crucial to health of
mentoring program
Well-managed program promotes accuracy
and efficiency, establishes credibility and
identifies areas that need improvement
18. Elements are necessary for a well-managed,
well-run program:
Advisory group
System to monitor program
Effective public relations
Communication efforts
19. Efficient, consistent everyday operations are
important to mentoring program success.
Fulfillment of responsibilities can be the
difference between chaos and stability.
20. Strategic options for ensuring smooth
operation of the program:
Consistently evaluating/recruiting mentors
Supervising relationships
Helping mentors and mentees reach closure
21. Ongoing quality improvement is an indictor of
effective mentoring programs.
Identifying areas that need improvement
improves how well the program serves young
people.
22. To adequately evaluate program effectiveness,
a program must have:
A plan to measure success
A process for measuring expected outcomes
A process that reflects on evaluation findings and
disseminates them to appropriate parties
23. 5 primary types that have proven to be
effective
Traditional one-on-one
Group Mentoring: 1 adult, 4 children
Team Mentoring: group of adults and children
Ratio not to exceed 1:4
Peer Mentoring: older youth w/ younger youth
Age gap no less than 5 years
E-mentoring: only electronic correspondence
A ratio of 1 mentor to 4 mentees is necessary to
adequately serve the needs of the youth
24. Conducting reasonably intensive screening of
potential mentors
Making matches based on interests that both
the mentor and the mentee share
Providing more than six hours of training for
mentors
Offering post-match training and support.
25.
26. Complete details can be found at:
http://raikesfoundation.org/Docu
ments/Lessons%20for%20Youth%2
0Program%20Quality%20Improve
ment%20Initiatives%20(January%2
02012).pdf
27. Building the capacity of youth-serving
organizations to deliver the best possible
programs
Increasing the use of research-based quality
assessment too
Continually improve practice
Improve quality at the point of service (where
youth, adults and resources come together)
28. Initiative begins with a 15 month process
Program quality assessment, data-driven
improvement planning, peer learning, and intensive
professional development
Organizations receive cash grants to participate
in initiative
Upon Completion, organizations are eligible to
receive continued funding and quality
improvement resources for an addition 2 years
29.
30.
31. Key Component of the YPQI
Derived from Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs
Comes in 4 stages, with most emphasis
needing to be placed at the bottom
Safe Environment
Supportive environment
Interaction
Engagement
32. Psychological and Emotional safety
Program space and furniture
Emergency procedures
Healthy food and drinks
Physically safe environment
33. Encouraging
Reframing conflict
Skill building
Session flow
Active engagement
Welcoming atmosphere
34. Lead and mentor
Be in small groups
Partner with adults
Experience belonging
37. Full Details can be found
here (pages 64 and 65):
http://www.cityofchicago.
org/content/dam/city/depts
/obm/supp_info/CDBG/C
DGA2014Final-
CDGAPosting.pdf
38. 21st century skills assessment
Formerly know at the Employability
Assessment
Targets skill building clocks comprised of
college, career and life readiness skills
Examples include personal mindset, social
awareness, verbal communication, collaboration &
problem solving
Gives youth feedback on progress concerning
these skills