NCJ Number
210731
Date Published
2005
Length
287 pages
Annotation
This book reports on the findings of the largest evaluation of mentoring programs yet conducted in the United Kingdom, as it examined the lives of a large group of "disaffected" youth and determined the impact of their involvement in a mentoring program.
Abstract
The general format for mentoring programs in the United Kingdom is facilitation of the establishment of a relationship between an older and younger person for the purpose of providing a role model and guidance for the youth. The evaluation of mentoring programs reported in this book used self-reports in the context of a longitudinal design that followed just over 300 mentored youth deemed to be highly "disaffected." The term "disaffected" refers to youth of compulsory school age who are truant or significantly underachieving in school, resulting in problem behavior. The term also refers to youth past the age of compulsory education who have neither continued in education nor committed themselves to job training or employment. Two chapters of this book review the literature on youths' disaffection, followed by a chapter on the history of mentoring and the limited research evidence on its impact. Five chapters explore the nature and impact of mentoring, with attention to the mentors' and youths' experiences in the program. The focus is on the youths' engagement with education, training, and work, as well as their offending and drug/alcohol use. The evaluation concluded that mentoring programs were successful in encouraging many youth to go back into education and to commit themselves to preparation for or involvement in employment. Although concluding that mentoring is not a panacea for disaffected youth, it has promise that can be realized by discussing its capabilities "realistically," planning programs "carefully," implementing them "faithfully," and evaluating them "rigorously." 22 figures, 32 tables, and 200 references