By Jennifer Fiorillo
Mental Health
Jennifer Fiorillo
January was first recognized as National Mentoring month in 2002, marking the start of a campaign to promote mentoring opportunities that would build connections between young people and adults.
The campaign, led by the Harvard School of Public Health, Mentor – The National Mentoring Partnership and the Corporation for National and Community Service, coordinates media outreach and volunteer recruitment activities to support mentoring programs with local community partners such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters of American, America’s Promise and many others. A number of prominent individuals has been involved in the mentoring campaign, including Maya Angelou, Clint Eastwood, former president Bill Clinton and Quincy Jones.
There are innumerable benefits to mentoring relationships for young people that have been highlighted in studies and research. Some of the notable benefits include enhanced self-esteem and confidence, a better attitude about school, improved behaviors at home and improved interpersonal relationships.
There is also evidence that mentoring relationships can lead to better academic performance and attendance. A national report called the Mentoring Effect produced by the nonprofit MENTOR organization found that 55 percent of young people who were considered at-risk for not completing high school were more likely to enroll in college if they had a mentor than those who did not.
Mentors who are matched with youth mentees are generally non-parental and unrelated adults who act as caring and supportive role models. The focus of the relationship can vary depending on the type of mentoring. The mentoring structure or approach for a more formal mentoring relationship is usually program supported or managed by an organization or school, and aims for a close and compatible match that could lead to the most favorable outcomes.
A few mentoring models include one-on-one, group and peer-based. With the pandemic, there has been an increase in mentoring sessions being facilitated virtually. More than 70 percent of mentorship relationships are set to last an entire calendar or school year and only a small percentage have shorter-term expectations of less than six months.
While the goal of mentoring relationships is to improve outcomes for youth, how this is accomplished can vary based on the approach, according to the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs. Instrumental mentoring is topic-focused and addresses a specific problem or goal, such as improving performance in school or reducing certain negative behaviors. Psychosocial mentoring is more open-ended, with a focus on conversation that addresses positive youth development, helps to build confidence and enhance identity.
With the growing concern over the mental health challenges that have emerged among our youth from the pandemic during this prolonged period of uncertainty and stress, it is important to build as many supports as possible. Having strong mentoring programs to supplement mental health services can only add to the likelihood that the impact of COVID on our youth can be mitigated by strong connections to caring and supportive role models.
With the start of 2022, it’s a perfect time to consider becoming a youth mentor. For more information on youth mentoring, visit mentoring.org.
Jennifer Fiorillo, MBA, MPH is the president and CEO of Bridges Healthcare in Milford, and may be reached at Jfiorillo@bridgesmilford.org.