Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America is a volunteer-based intervention organization that has assisted the youth population by changing their perspectives and giving the youth the opportunity to reach their full potential. The organization’s procedure is pairing a child with a mentor which results in building a strong relationship with unrestricted potential. Mentors go through background checks and necessary training to be able to volunteer as a big brother or a big sister. In the present paper, the role and the effectiveness of the mentor in a youth’s life and the most effective qualifications of the mentor will be investigated. It is hypothesized that involving the youth in a mentor program and incorporating mentors who have certain preexisting
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In a research article by Lakind, Eddy, and Zell (2014), the objective of the study was examining the role conceptions of professional mentors serving at-risk youth. The focus of the investigation was based on how the mentors perceived their roles and their organization using a semi-structured interview. The sample consisted of 9 mentors who have been employed at the chosen site for at least one year. The cut-off of one year was used to better understand the perceptions of professional mentors who have worked a certain capacity to undergo a range of mentoring experiences. All mentors had bachelor degrees and all have had previous experience working with children. Interviews were transcribed by the authors. Results in this study showed that six themes related to mentors’ perceptions of their roles of serving: mentor qualities, intensive time commitment, caseload, involvement in multiple contexts, close relationship with youth, and challenges. The roles and their challenges described presented that their roles as mentors are intensive, involved, and demanding. The study concluded, as the results indicated, that a mentor who uses a professional, experienced mentoring model may hold promise for working with youth at high risk. The role, the conceptualizations, and the organizational culture of the mentors’ work may be important in …show more content…
In a research article by Leyton-Armakan et al. (2012), two components were observed. First, whether three preexisting characteristics (self-worth, cultural empathy, and mental health) of the college women mentors were related to the mentees’ (adolescent girls) satisfaction with the mentoring relationship and self-reported improvement. Second, if the relationship between the mentor’s characteristics and mentee outcomes varied by racial match. The focus of the study is to investigate the importance of identifying specific characteristics of mentors that lead to positive experiences for mentees to optimize the effectiveness of youth mentoring. A sample of 142 paired college women and early adolescent girls participating in the Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP) were used in this study. Surveys that the participants completed involved measurement of their academic, social, and emotional adjustment and their experiences of the program, as well as their mentor or mentee. The results indicate, using Pearson’s correlations, that there were three significant correlations between mentor and mentee variables: the mentor’s relationship with her own parents prior to the match with a youth was positively correlated with mentee’s satisfaction with feeling supported by their mentor (r =.15, p > .01), mentor’s initial level of autonomy was negatively correlated
In a research article by Lakind, Eddy, and Zell (2014), the objective of the study was examining the role conceptions of professional mentors serving at-risk youth. The focus of the investigation was based on how the mentors perceived their roles and their organization using a semi-structured interview. The sample consisted of 9 mentors who have been employed at the chosen site for at least one year. The cut-off of one year was used to better understand the perceptions of professional mentors who have worked a certain capacity to undergo a range of mentoring experiences. All mentors had bachelor degrees and all have had previous experience working with children. Interviews were transcribed by the authors. Results in this study showed that six themes related to mentors’ perceptions of their roles of serving: mentor qualities, intensive time commitment, caseload, involvement in multiple contexts, close relationship with youth, and challenges. The roles and their challenges described presented that their roles as mentors are intensive, involved, and demanding. The study concluded, as the results indicated, that a mentor who uses a professional, experienced mentoring model may hold promise for working with youth at high risk. The role, the conceptualizations, and the organizational culture of the mentors’ work may be important in …show more content…
In a research article by Leyton-Armakan et al. (2012), two components were observed. First, whether three preexisting characteristics (self-worth, cultural empathy, and mental health) of the college women mentors were related to the mentees’ (adolescent girls) satisfaction with the mentoring relationship and self-reported improvement. Second, if the relationship between the mentor’s characteristics and mentee outcomes varied by racial match. The focus of the study is to investigate the importance of identifying specific characteristics of mentors that lead to positive experiences for mentees to optimize the effectiveness of youth mentoring. A sample of 142 paired college women and early adolescent girls participating in the Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP) were used in this study. Surveys that the participants completed involved measurement of their academic, social, and emotional adjustment and their experiences of the program, as well as their mentor or mentee. The results indicate, using Pearson’s correlations, that there were three significant correlations between mentor and mentee variables: the mentor’s relationship with her own parents prior to the match with a youth was positively correlated with mentee’s satisfaction with feeling supported by their mentor (r =.15, p > .01), mentor’s initial level of autonomy was negatively correlated