User:CooperR.Anthony/Youth mentoring

Lead
In this article, I will be contributing further detail into the mental health and social benefits of youth-mentoring for both the mentees and the mentors. Furthermore, I will provide examples of community-based youth mentoring programs, mentioning some of the current efforts and approaches to mentoring programs in the United States.

My edits to the existing Wikipedia article are indicated between "<< >>".

Benefits
<< Literature that looks at the effects of cross-age peer mentoring suggests that while these programs may not always be effective, they have been correlated with “improvements on academic self-esteem and connectedness.” Published literature also indicates that “formal community-based youth mentoring relationships” allow for successful intervention with children in difficult or at-risk environments. Mentoring programs for youth are >> mentioned as having significant benefits such as lower dropout rates in high school and subsequently increased graduation rates along with an increase of enrollment into and graduation from institutions of higher education. On a day to day basis, youth participating in mentoring relationships demonstrate better attendance < > fewer unexcused absences. Students adopt a more positive attitude towards formal classroom learning with more formidable relationships between students, teachers, and parents. Youths also acquire more self-confidence and better behavior at home and school. In turn, this improves their motivation to learn in a given subject area.

<< Youth mentoring draws on positive theories of "development-clinical psychology." These theories see the value of relationships characterized by communication, support, and trust, which shape the character development of children. >> For teachers, mentoring means enhanced skills in supervision and better patience, sense of fulfillment, and increased self-esteem. Successful mentorships promote positive health through the improvement of academic education, positive self-worth, and social acceptance. Likewise, mentorships can decrease high-risk violent behaviors, usage of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.

<< There are debates about the effectiveness of youth-mentoring as some claim that child development is influenced by interactions that extend beyond these relationships. Mentoring alone is not sufficient; positive youth development requires more than a cross-age mentor. The goals of youth mentoring, however, can be simply to turn obstacles into opportunities, and to provide a safe and structured space for children to discover themselves as they develop. >>

Community-based
"Community Based" is another approach to mentoring. In this setting, a mentor meets youth in the community such as < > a church, community facility, or by taking the child to community events. Individual vs. community based mentoring may be culturally specific, such as in India where youth are less in need of individual attention and thrive in a group setting, according to The International Journal of Social Work. Both approaches can be done in a one-on-one or group setting << between mentee youth and paraprofessional mentors. Paraprofessionals are non-parent adult mentors who are recruited or volunteer to execute certain tasks after being guided and supervised by a professional service provider. Although the many community-based programs that exist today vary in design and delivery, the majority target skill sets relating to social integration, self-sufficiency, and academic competence. >> Community engagement statistics states that mentees after mentoring programs are 55% more likely to enroll in college, 78% more likely to volunteer regularly, 90% are interested in becoming a mentor, and 130% more likely to hold leadership positions.

A survey questioning 1,101 mentors through 98 mentoring programs found that school-based mentoring programs had fewer contact hours than community-based mentoring programs. Community-based mentors also self-reported to be “very close” to their mentees, while school-based mentors reported to be “close”. This survey used nine factors to benchmark the developing relationships. These factors are “(1) engaging in social activities; (2) engaging in academic activities; (3) number of hours per month spent together; (4) decision-making shared by mentor and mentee; (5) prematch training; (6) postmatch training; (7) mentor screening (only important relationship development in community-based programs); (8) matching; and (9) age of the mentee." The conclusion of this study is that school-based programs < > a good compliment to community based mentoring programs, meaning that schools should strive to have a variety of mentoring programs in order to give students the best resources that fit to their needs.

<< Youth mentoring also addresses the issue of workforce shortages since it utilizes paraprofessionals for child services where the need is high but the resources are limited. Beginning in 2019, a new form of training -- Just-In-Time Training -- was proposed to help address shortages in child services. These strategies are proposed to even work “within the context of dynamic mental health services,” as they allow for services, normally directed towards professionals, to be executed just as efficiently by individuals with less official qualifications. >>

3.5 United States
* make connection to After-school activity article (minor edit)