By: Rebecca N. Saito and Eugene C. Roehlkepartain
(From November 1992, Source Newsletter)

• About the Study
• Meeting Different Needs
• Making a Difference

Mentoring-adult volunteers forming intentional relationships with young people-is one strategy that blends those two images together into a hopeful picture of young and old spending time together and working together in mutually beneficial, satisfying relationships. A new Search Institute study, Understanding Mentoring Relationships, highlights the possibilities, diversity, and benefits of these relationships.

While there has been growing interest and research about mentoring in recent years, studies generally have not incorporated the viewpoints of and impacts on the adult mentors, and parents/teachers. Furthermore, they often assume mentoring practices and relationships are relatively homogeneous across a wide range of programs. Thus this study breaks new ground by describing and examining five different types of mentoring programs and their impact on everyone involved: mentors, mentees, and relations with mentees' families.

The project began by reviewing literature on mentoring, and talking with agency staff and others involved in mentoring to develop a framework for understanding different types of mentoring programs. Five types were identified. Then we interviewed 46 people involved in mentoring, including program staff, the mentor, the mentee, and another significant adult who has first-hand information about the relationship (such as a parent, teacher, or guardian). Participating programs were selected to represent each program type.

Funded by the Mc-Knight Foundation, the study focused on mentoring, tutoring, and friendship programs in the Buddy System, a division of Minneapolis Youth Trust, a non-profit organization that initiates, promotes, and develops partnerships within the community to help children and youth become ready for life and work. Due to the focus on particular programs and the limited size of the study, generalizations to other mentoring efforts are inappropriate. However, the study does raise important issues that have implications for understanding and studying other programs.

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No type of mentoring program is necessarily "better" than another. All of the programs in the study meet important needs. Some focus on academic tutoring or career guidance; some provide role models and friendship; and some provide extra support and guidance concerning post-secondary options. Thus each is appropriate for different situations. Furthermore, the diversity of programs provides options not only for mentees, but also for mentors, depending on their particular needs, interests, and commitments.

This newsletter highlights each program type, illustrating each with details and benefits from the specific program studied. Other programs within each category would vary in the details.

• Traditional Programs-These are the programs that have been the focus of most discussions about mentoring: one adult being a friend and role model to one child. The traditional program studied here involves a one-year commitment (many last much longer), and mentors are expected to meet with their mentees a minimum of three hours per week.


Young people often get into traditional mentoring programs because of concerns about behaviors or family life. "My family thought I was bored and troubled," one mentee said. Others might get involved because of the perceived need for another positive adult relationship for children in single-parent families. Mentors tend to get involved because they want to help and develop a relationship with a young person.

Regardless of the reasons for being involved, the mentors and mentees in this program describe their relationship as meaningful, substantial, and important. One mentee said of her mentor: "She is my missing piece. My missing sister. She is my friend." And a mentor reported: "I get a great deal of satisfaction doing something worthwhile. It's training for life in general."
 

• Long-Term, Focused Activity-These programs focus on a particular goal over and above friendship or role modeling. Many times they focus on career and school issues. They are sometimes remedial, as in tutoring programs for under-achieving students or career guidance.


Benefits to mentees involved in the particular program studied include attitudinal changes about the value of education, new work skills, and employment opportunities. All mentors reported enjoying their role. One mentor indicated the fulfillment of helping a young person realize "it is possible to succeed in life and that things are not going to just come to you."
 

• Short-Term, Focused Activity-Programs in this category also focus in a particular area such as school or careers, but do not require mentors to make more than a six-month commitment. The program involved in this study is a school-based tutoring program for students K-12. The mentors commit to two hours per week for 10 weeks and generally tutor one or two students throughout that time period.


Even when one-to-one time is limited, volunteers, students, and teachers all report significant benefits from this program. Teachers said that the individual help these volunteers give to students is invaluable for their overall progress. One mentee said about the mentor: "She helped me realize that I could do something."
 

• Team Mentoring-Team mentoring occurs when more than one adult volunteer works with a young person. This may include a family, or two (or more) unrelated adults working together. Mentors in the particular program studied are expected to get together with their mentees once per week for two to four hours. Mentors make a year-long commitment to the program, but regularly remain involved with the young person for several years.


When children in this type of program come from single head of household families and are matched with two-parent families, they can experience men and women role models in a family setting. One parent of a mentee talked about it in this way, "He gets to see a husband and wife who are treating each other with respect. It's good for him to see that they can respect each other and be soul mates. He's learned that it's okay for a man to show that he has feelings and can demonstrate that he cares, that women are equals."
 

• Group Mentoring-Group mentoring occurs when one adult volunteer works with a small group of young people. Girl Scout leaders, for instance, are beginning to view their volunteer troop leaders as mentors. All of the people who were interviewed spoke to the utility of these group sessions and the effectiveness of the processes used in the groups. "These kids really respond to you," one mentor said. "It's an hour in their week when someone says, 'Hey, you're doing a really great job.' "

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Expanding the understanding and definition of mentoring has important implications for adults who want to get involved as well as agencies that provide these opportunities.

For potential mentors, the study highlights the range and diversity of mentoring opportunities for volunteers. Adults can choose a program that fits their preferences and commitments. Every adult need not be committed to a long-term, deep relationship. While some will make this choice, others may find shorter, less intense personal commitments more appropriate for their schedules or personalities.

The interviews and observations also identified factors to be considered in organizing and running a mentoring program. Among the factors for success are:

• Provide appropriate screening, matching, and training-The key word is "appropriate." When mentoring relationships are unsupervised, and the nature and location of activities are unspecified, extensive screening is critical. Training is most important when the program goal is remedial (for example, tutoring or increased social skills).

 
• Ensure a good match between mentor expectations and program goals-Initial interviews with mentors should explain the type of mentoring relationship, expectations, and depth or type of relationship.

 
• Provide adequate support and communication structures-Mentors who feel they have access to program staff feel more confident and supported. A feedback loop through which everyone can discuss progress is important to a sense of support.

 
• Provide opportunities for social activities-Both mentors and mentees expressed a desire for program-supported social activities and events. These could include events for mentors and mentees together, mentors only, and mentees only.

 
• Communicate appropriately with the mentee's family-Programs should be clear about expectations of family involvement with the mentor and the program staff. While some programs may view family involvement as inappropriate, this expectation should be made clear to all involved.

Erwin Flaxman, Carol Ascher, and Charles Harrington, Youth Mentoring: Programs and Practices (New York: Institute for Urban and Minority Education); (212) 678-3433.

National Mentoring Working Group, Mentoring: Elements of Effective Practice (Washington, DC: One to One); (202) 338-3844.

Milestones in Mentoring: a Training Program for Volunteer Mentors (video series with guidelines) (Pittsburgh, PA: One PLUSOne); (412) 622-1491.

Patricia Flakus Mosqueda and Robert Palaich, Mentoring Young People Makes a Difference (Denver: Education Commission of the States); (303) 830-3692.

Melanie B. Styles and Kristine V. Morrow, Understanding How Youth and Elders Form Relationships: A Study of Four Linking Lifetimes Programs (Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures); (215) 952-9099.

The Two of Us: A Handbook for Mentors (Baltimore: The Baltimore Mentoring Institute); (301) 685-8316.

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