A Guide to Building Lasting Relationships in Mentoring Programs
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Going the Distance A Guide to Building Lasting Relationships in Mentoring Programs Going the Distance A Guide to Building Lasting Relationships in Mentoring Programs 2005 by Dr. Susan Weinberger Mentor Consulting Group and Michael Garringer and Patti MacRae NWREL Published by U. S. Department of Education Mentoring Resource Center Mentoring Resource Center c/o EMT Associates 771 Oak Avenue Parkway, Suite 2 Folsom, CA 95630 EMT Toll-free number: 877-579-4788 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.edmentoring.org Mentoring Resource Center: Joël Phillips, Officer-in-Charge Judy Taylor, Project Director Eve McDermott, Director Authors: Dr. Susan Weinberger, Michael Garringer, and Patti MacRae Editor: Michael Garringer Technical Editor: Eugenia Cooper Potter Desktop Publishing: Dennis Wakeland ©2005, Mentoring Resource Center All Rights Reserved ISBN: 0-89354-073-0 This publication was funded by the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education under contract number ED04CO0091/0001 with EMT Associates, Inc. The contracting officer’s representative was Bryan Williams. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government. This publication also con- tains hyperlinks and URLs for information created and maintained by private organiza- tions. This information is provided for the reader’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education is not responsible for controlling or guaranteeing the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. Further, the inclusion of infor- mation or a hyperlink or URL does not reflect the importance of the organization, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered. Acknowledgments The Mentoring Resource Center (MRC) would like to express thanks to Margaret Spellings, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, and to Deborah A. Price, Deputy Under Secretary of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, William Modzeleski, OSDFS Associate Deputy Under Secretary, Charlotte Gillespie, Director of National Programs, and Bryan Williams, Program Analyst, for their vision and support. Additional thanks go to Earl Myers and Vera Messina, also of the OSDFS, for continued leadership of the ED Mentoring Programs initiative. The MRC also wishes to thank Michael Garringer and Patti MacRae at the National Mentoring Center for their many hard hours develop- ing the content of this book, Eugenia Cooper Potter and Dennis Wakeland for their editing and desktop publishing, respectively, and Paula Surmann for the cover design. Special thanks to Joël Phillips, Judy Taylor, Lisa Scott, Shelly Boehm, Elsy Arévalo, and the staff of the Mentoring Resource Center for their role in developing a nationally recognized mentoring resource. Last but by no means least, we wish to thank Dr. Susan Weinberger—”Dr. Mentor”—of the Mentor Consulting Group, whose knowledge, expertise, and wisdom made this book possible. iii iv Contents Introduction: The Importance of Making Matches That Last . 1 1. Program Leadership and Stakeholders in the Match . 5 2. Positioning Your Program for Success . 11 3. Effective Strategies for Matching Adults and Youth . 25 4. Ongoing Support and Supervision . 31 5. Implications for Peer Mentoring Programs . 41 Conclusion . 49 References . 51 Appendix A: Sample Forms Youth Referral Form . A-5 Mentor Job Description . A-6 Mentor Application . A-8 Mentor Release Statement . A-10 Youth Interest Survey . A-11 Matchmaking Policy . A-12 Matchmaking Procedure . A-13 Match Support and Supervision Policy . A-15 Match Support and Supervision Procedure . A-16 Matching Worksheet . A-18 Participant Contract . A-19 Match Check-in Sheet . A-20 Icebreaker: Getting To Know Each Other . A-21 Suggested Match Activities . A-22 “Mentoring on the Move” . A-24 Appendix B: Additional Reading . A-27 v vi INTRODUCTION: THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING MATCHES THAT LAST There is a growing body of evidence that the effects of mentoring relationships develop over time, and that these relationships benefit from consistent and continu- ous meetings between the mentor and mentee. Thus, one of the key principles the United States Department of Education (ED) focused on when it developed its Mentoring Program grants through the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) was the length of the matches that their programs would be making. This commitment to lasting matches is illustrated in the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) benchmarks for OSDFS mentoring programs. The first of the three indicators sets the goal of 25 percent of a program’s initial matches lasting at least 12 months. The goal increases to 50 percent of the matches lasting 12 months in the third year of the grant. Grantees are also required to collect data and track match status in order to report on progress toward this goal. The purpose of this book is to guide OSDFS-funded mentoring programs in making matches that last, matches that reach their potential and produce the desired outcomes. It should be noted that, for the most part, this book is geared toward school- or site- based programs. However, many of the concepts and tips will also be useful to com- munity-based mentoring efforts. Most of this book also is focused on adult-youth mentoring models. Additional tips for creating long-lasting peer relationships are covered in a dedicated section. What the Research Says This emphasis on long-lasting matches is well founded. Mentoring research points to match duration as one of the cornerstone indicators of relationship and program suc- cess. In their highly regarded study on the effects of match duration, researchers Jean Grossman and Jean Rhodes found a strong connection between the length of matches and their overall positive outcomes (Grossman and Rhodes, 2002). Their study of Big Brothers Big Sisters matches found that: The largest number of significant, positive effects emerged in the 12- month or longer group, an increase in perceived scholastic compe- tence and self-perceived social acceptance, and reductions in truancy and substance abuse. In general, the significant, positive impacts in- creased with relationship duration. 1 U.S. Department of Education I Mentoring Resource Center There were progressively smaller outcomes for youth who had been matched less than a year. However, their research also uncovered something rather ominous for matches terminated before the three-month mark: they suffered negative effects when compared to non-mentored youth. They concluded that “youth who were in relationships that terminated within three months reported drops in self-worth and perceived scholastic competence.” These youth were worse off than if they had never been in the program at all. The at-risk youth in mentoring programs, many of whom may have a history that includes abuse, neglect, and other conflict with adults, may be especially unprepared to handle the sense of rejection and disappointment that comes with a short-lived mentoring relationship. Jean Rhodes writes in her definitive book Stand by Me: The Risks and Rewards of Mentoring Today’s Youth: This pattern of findings suggests that short-lived matches can have a detrimental effect on youth and that the impact of mentoring grows as the relationship matures. (Rhodes, 2002) The importance of match duration is also underscored in the David Dubois and col- leagues’ prominent meta-analysis of youth mentoring programs and outcomes. His research concluded that the effectiveness of mentoring programs was determined by how much time and effort went into creating strong, lasting matches through pro- gram features such as “ongoing training for mentors, structured activities for men- tors and youth as well as expectations for the frequency of contact, mechanisms for support and involvement of parents, and monitoring of overall program implementa- tion.” The more diligent programs were in creating systems that helped matches form and last, the better the outcomes for participating youth. DuBois ultimately concluded that the program characteristics that led to improved outcomes reflected “an empha- sis on providing adequate support and structure for mentoring relationships” and that “multiple features of relationships, such as frequency of contact, emotional close- ness, and longevity each may make important and distinctive contributions to pos- itive youth outcomes” (DuBois et al., 2002). These research findings imply that lasting matches are an indicator of overall pro- gram success. They also show that overall program quality, in turn, leads to matches that go the distance. About This Book Going the Distance is designed to help your mentoring program’s coordinator (and other staff) design the systems, activities, and services that will give your matches the support they need to thrive long-term. It also provides tips and strategies for avoiding the short-lived matches that have such a negative impact on your program and the youth you serve. 2 Going the Distance: A Guide to Building Lasting Relationships in Mentoring Programs The first section discusses the individuals who play a role in making matches that last. Parents, volunteers, school leaders, and even the youth themselves, all need to lend a hand in creating and nurturing mentoring relationships. The next section looks at some of the things your program can do before matches get made that can help lay a good foundation. Section 3 offers strategies for making appropriate matches, while Section 4 looks at some of the ongoing support and supervision that your pro- gram can provide. The Appendices offer sample forms and listings of additional read- ing and resources that can help you implement many of the ideas discussed in the book. 3 SECTION 1. PROGRAM LEADERSHIP AND STAKEHOLDERS IN THE MATCH The matches in your program do not just spring up overnight or out of thin air. They are different from the naturally formed mentoring relationships that many of us have had with relatives, educators, or other adults growing up.