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Role of Intergenerational Mentoring for Supporting Youth Development : An Examination of the "Across Ages" Program in the U.S.
Abstract
Meeting the diverse needs of young people who are coping with such problems as delinquent behaviors or poor academic performance is an urgent issue today. This paper aims to demonstrate the benefits of introducing intergenerational mentoring activities into educational programs for supporting "at risk" adolescents by highlighting some innovative and effective methods. Among various types of mentoring activities, this paper will focus on ones in which older adults take on the role of mentors. The significance of mentoring activities in which older adults give emotional support to at risk adolescents has been recognized since the late 1980s in the United States. An important component of this type of "intergenerational mentoring" initiative involves establishing a sense of mutual trust between the older adult mentors and the at risk youth mentees. This paper consists of the following parts. Firstly, the author will describe the rationale and some of the societal factors that are contributing to the emergence of the mentoring activities for at risk adolescents in contemporary society. Secondly, the author will describe key characteristics of intergenerational mentoring activities designed to support at risk adolescents. The primary focus will be on lessons learned from an intergenerational mentoring program called "Across Ages" which is operated by Temple University's Center for Intergenerational Learning. In analyzing this model program, the author will focus on challenging issues related to how the mentor role is constructed and how the mentors function in the context of program goals to produce benefits for the participants. Finally, in concluding this paper, the author will point out that such intergenerational mentoring endeavors not only expand informal helping resources for at risk adolescents but also help in establishing a circulative mentoring process that has implications for the enrichment of the lives of people of all ages in the community.
... A mentor is someone who shares their knowledge, skills, and experience over a prolonged period of time. Intergenerational mentoring is a type of mentoring where older adults provide guidance to younger people by sharing their experiences and wisdom [4]. For instance, an older person can provide consistent support to a younger person going through a difficult situation or period in life. ...
... The growing problematic behaviors in younger people, such as criminal activity and high-level drug use, has increased [3]. Older mentors, particularly those who have experienced similar situations as high-risk youth, have been found to be effective in reaching out and relating to those who feel misunderstood by family and community members [4]. It is important to create positive environments and to have engaging experiences despite their life circumstances in order to encourage the younger individuals to strive for their full potential. ...
Intergenerational mentoring is a way to break down barriers between different generations by utilizing mentoring. Intergenerational mentoring with older adults provides opportunities for activities and learning for young people. Various studies have suggested that providing opportunities for older adults and younger adults to spend time together could be an excellent opportunity to debunk many of the beliefs that young people may have about older adults. Stereotyping or discrimination of someone due to age is known as ageism. Empathy has been shown to be associated with ageism. Higher empathy scores were negatively correlated with total ageism scores meaning that the more empathy a person has, the less ageism that they possess. Therefore, it could be that providing opportunities for the generations to spend time together could increase their empathy for that group and reduce their ageism.
... According to Rhodes, Reddy, Roffman, and Grossman (2005), supportive nonparent adult relationships can greatly influence the course and quality of a youth's life, but many youth never have this type of relationship. In the absence of these positive relationships, many young people must learn to cope with such problems as delinquent behaviors or poor academic performance (Mano, 2007). These problems can be reduced when innovative and effective mentoring relationships and activities are provided that support "at-risk" adolescents (Mano, 2007). ...
... In the absence of these positive relationships, many young people must learn to cope with such problems as delinquent behaviors or poor academic performance (Mano, 2007). These problems can be reduced when innovative and effective mentoring relationships and activities are provided that support "at-risk" adolescents (Mano, 2007). ...
Young people today face a multitude of challenges, especially when growing up in an urban environment. Risk factors such as poverty, exposure to gangs, drugs, and community and family violence threaten healthy development. The positive youth development (PYD) approach attempts to combat these personal and environmental challenges by providing youth with positive, asset-building experiences and meaningful, supportive relationships. There is a need for creative youth development programming that brings these two elements together in a structured and voluntary context, such as a wilderness-based program. This study explored the impact of a PYD program that utilizes mentor-supported wilderness expeditions to build developmental assets among a diverse sample of 159 urban youth in the United States. The Developmental Assets Profile was administered pre- and post-program, as well as 90 days post-program. Quantitative findings show that this type of programming can be an asset-building experience for youth facing multiple risk factors.
... Evidence supporting connections between some outcomes on the adult pathway model were more tentative, derived from studies employing a different perspective. For example, although not specifically related to parents, some evidence from intergenerational mentoring (Eby et al., 2013;Mano, 2007) provided support for the connection between "Recognize adult volunteer role as surrogate parent" and "Mentor youth beyond own child." Limited evidence was found to support the connection between "Desire to make a difference in the lives of other kids" and "Embrace/believe that the purpose of BSA is leadership and character building." ...
Positive youth development programs such as those offered by Boy Scouts of America (BSA) provide sources of support and opportunities for leadership and character development. Programmatic experts from BSA collaborated with researchers to develop a visual theory of change (pathway model) for youth development in Scouts BSA and for adult volunteer leader development. The pathway model was then validated through focus groups with Scouts BSA youth and adult leaders across the country. Practice mapping was employed to assess the consistency of pathway models with core adult training curricula. The models were aligned with research literature through evidence mapping. The theory of change embedded in the Scouts BSA program was aligned with the Big Three features of positive youth development programs.
Currently, blame for the difficulties facing youth is too often laid on one particular segment of the community - whether parents, school personnel or the children themselves. However, the problems of today's young people are problems for all generations.
In response, the past decade has seen unparalleled proliferation of planned mentoring initiatives. Across Ages, the multi-faceted and multigenerational intervention described in this volume, uses older adult volunteers as mentors for young people. By acting as advocates, challengers, nurturers, role models and friends, older mentors help children develop the awareness, self-confidence, and skills they need to overcome overwhelming obstacles.
Across Ages is cost-effective and feasible even where resources are fairly limited. Although designed as a school-based model, this program can easily be adopted to other settings. Each of the four major program components - mentoring, community service, `life skills' instruction, and family support - is described in step-by-step detail.
Research on mentoring in higher education is increasingly widespread. This article aims to provide insight into different kinds of mentoring programs and the research conducted to determine the effectiveness of these programs. A review of the literature revealed multiple definitions of what mentoring means, how programs operate, and types of research conducted. This investigation concluded in findings that the majority of mentoring research is incomplete and methodologically unsound. Additionally, the literature conceptualizes mentoring in dichotomous forms: informal/formal and traditional/non-traditional. Understanding how these forms operate within higher education can impact the overall effectiveness of the mentoring relationship. Suggestions for improved research methodology and program design are provided.
Points out that there are fewer adults in families and that schools are unused before and after classes. Suggests that older adults can provide some support for school-aged children who would normally go home to an empty house. (JOW)
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