EFFECTIVE MENTORING FOR YOUTH FACING BARRIERS TO SUCCESS

Ontario Mentoring CoalitionMarch 21, 2016

Presented by: Dr. Melanie Bania & Vanessa Chase, MCA

With funding provided by:

Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS)

Welcome & Introductions

• Welcome by the Ontario Mentoring Coalition (Co-Chairs Beth Malcolm & Cathy Denyer)

• Housekeeping: How to use the platform

• Webinar Objectives

• Webinar Outline

Webinar Objectives

① Share information on best practices for mentoring youth who face barriers to success

② Coming soon: Toolkit to help you plan, tailor, implement and evaluate an effective mentoring program for youth who face barriers to success

Webinar Outline

Topic Time

What do we mean by “mentoring for youth facing barriers to success”? 1:10 – 1:15

How effective is mentoring for youth who face barriers to success? 1:15 – 1:20

How can we make our program the most effective and safe as possible? 1:20 – 1:35

What do we need to consider when providing mentoring opportunities for youth who face barriers to success?

1:35 – 1:55

What are best practices in program management and sustainability planning? 1:55 – 2:00

How can we build our capacity for program evaluation? 2:00 – 2:10

Questions & Discussion 2:10 – 2:30

What do we mean by “mentoring for youth

facing barriers to success”?

Definition of Mentoring

• The term ‘mentor’ can be broadly defined as: “an experienced and trusted advisor” (Oxford Dictionaries, n.d.)

• “Mentoring takes place between young persons (i.e., mentees) and older or more experienced persons (i.e., mentors) who are acting in a non-professional helping capacity to provide relationship-based support that benefits one or more areas of the mentee’s development” (MENTOR, 2015, p. 9)

Definition of Youth Facing Barriers to Success

• Youth who experience obstacles to full participation in their communities and may benefit from targeted support and opportunities (Ministry of Children & Youth Services).

• Youth with academic challenges

• Indigenous youth

• Racialized youth

• Newcomer youth

• Youth with developmental / other disabilities

• Youth with mental health needs

• LGBTTQQIP2SA youth

• Youth in or leaving care

• Homeless youth

• Youth involved with the criminal justice system

• Girls

Types of Mentoring

Types of Mentoring

Formal Mentoring

• Occurs in a formalized mentoring program where mentees are intentionally matched to mentors

various models: 1-1, group, team, peer, online

various settings: community, school, faith-based, agency, workplace

Informal Mentoring

• Occurs outside of a formalized mentoring programNatural mentors

(ex: school bus driver, community leader)

Content mentors(ex: guest speaker, job shadowing)

Program mentors (ex: homework club or summer camp)

Quick Poll!

Question 1:

Are you currently involved in providing formal mentoring for youth facing barriers to success?

Question 2:

Are you currently involved in planning a formal mentoring program for youth facing barriers to success?

Question 3:

Are you interested in starting a formal mentoring program for youth facing barriers to success in the future?

How effective is mentoring for youth who face barriers to success?

Research tell us…

• For young people in general, formal mentoring can have positive effects for mentees (small/modest + outcomes)• re: academic, emotional, behavioural and social development

• Impacts are comparable to other similar formal interventions (can be powerful, but not a silver bullet)

• Evidence is less common, conclusive or definitive for the overall effectiveness of mentoring for youth deemed at higher-risk of negative life outcomes

Research tell us…

• Mentoring can benefit youth with various ‘risk profiles’ (mentoring relationships that are similar in strength, duration, and benefits)

• Somewhat stronger and more consistent benefits for youth who score relatively high on individual risk factors (challenging attitudes and behaviours, academic struggles, significant health needs, involvement in the justice system)

but not on environmental risk factors (e.g., poverty, unsafe housing, low parental support)

Research tell us…

• Challenges reported by mentors and reasons matches end early differ in relation to the youth’s risk profile and life circumstances (e.g., fear attachment vs. transiency vs. parental interference)

• Mentoring may be more effective for youth facing barriers to success when it is combined with other services and supports

• Important factor: the young person must be open to making a long-term commitment to form a relationship with a mentor

Effectiveness of Mentoring: Gaps

• Youth with mental health needs

• Indigenous youth

• LGBTTQQIP2SA

• Homeless youth

How can we make our mentoring program the most effective and safe

as possible?

Universal factors for greater impacts

• Closeness

• Consistency

• Youth-centredness

• Structure

• Duration (at least 1 year)

Mentoring Relationship Styles

① Developmental – focus on relational activities first

② Instrumental – focus on goal directed and skill-building activities first

“Research suggests that the provision of structure in the relationship should not be at the expense of a primary focus on having fun and developing the relationship”

(MENTOR, 2015, p. 42)

① Assistance Mentoring• For youth who HAVE NOT been deeply affected by individual, family,

community, and/or societal risk factors

• Provide support in academics, job counseling, leadership skills, conflict resolution skills, social recreation, minor self-esteem dvt

② Transformational Mentoring• For youth who HAVE been deeply affected by individual, family,

community, and/or societal risk factors

• Provide non-punitive support to affect change in negative self-esteem / self-concept, attitudes, behaviours, lack of hope

• Must offer an expression of profound empathy, sensitivity, compassion, and care

Mentoring Relationship Styles

Mentoring Standards

Evidence-based and

practitioner-informed

standards and benchmarks for

planning and implementing an

effective mentoring program

Elements of Effective Practice for MentoringTM

http://www.mentoring.org/program-resources/elements-of-effective-practice-for-mentoring/

Mentoring Standards

Recruiting Participants• Realistically describe and portray the program and opportunity• Get potential participants to complete an application (written/verbal)• Get their commitment in writing

Screening & Assessing Participants• Establish criteria and stick to them

• Interview each participant individually and in-depth

• Screen prospective mentors: time, commitment, personal qualities, background check

Mentoring Standards

Training Participants• Minimum = two hours of pre-match, in-person training

• Supplement with post-match training as much as possible

• Use culturally appropriate language and tools

• Focus on knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and skills for developing positive and safe relationship

• Boundaries, policies: social media, transportation, gifts, tag-alongs, etc.

Matching Participants• Based on interests; proximity; availability; age; gender; race; ethnicity;

personality; expressed preferences; goals; strengths; experiences

• Arrange a staff supervised initial meeting

• Sign a commitment agreement

Mentoring Standards

Supporting & Supervising the Match• Contact each person at least 2x in first month, 1x each month thereafter

• Monitor relationship milestones and youth safety

• Provide ongoing advice, problem solving, training, and access to resources for the duration of each relationship

Involving Parents / Caregivers• Establish a congenial and collaborative

working relationship with the mentee’s parent or guardian, or other significant adult in their life

Mentoring Standards

Celebrating Efforts & Successes• Recognize efforts and successes of mentees to keep them engaged

• Recognize mentors on an annual basis (at minimum) to increase their perceptions of self-efficacy and encourage them to continue volunteering

Closing a Match & Re-matching• Facilitate closure in a way that affirms contributions of both

• Offer the opportunity to prepare for the closure

• Offer the opportunity to assess the experience and share thoughts

• Consider their preference and readiness for re-matching

Best Practices for Mentoring Youth Facing Barriers to Success

Best Practices

Program Planning

• Partner with relevant agencies

• Hire staff from the community

• Provide staff training on special considerations

• Use accommodations

Program Implementation

• Explore & celebrate the diversity of mentees

• E-Mentoring may be a promising practice

Best Practices

Mentee Referral, Screening & Selection

• Ensure recruitment materials are in multiple formats and languages

• Where possible accept mentees before major transitions

Mentor Recruitment, Screening & Selection

• Consider mentors who have had “troubled pasts”

• Mentors may need to be more experienced

Best Practices

Mentor Training

• Training should include:• Cultural competency

• Inclusive language

• The roles of mentors

• Disclosures/ confidentiality

• Higher risk of early match termination

Matching Process

• Allow mentees to share preferences for matching

• Support cross-race/gender/experience matching through:• Ongoing mentor training (unpacking biases, providing positive

feedback)

• Activities to learn about and celebrate ethnic identities

Best Practices

Relationship Development

• Foster reciprocal relationships (mentee choice, opportunities for matches to learn from one another)

• More vulnerable youth may require greater commitment and consistency

Match Supervision & Support

• Consistent and comprehensive staff check ins are more important

• Compensation may increase mentor commitment

Best Practices

Parent/ Caregiver/ Family Involvement

• Be aware of family challenges in communicating (language, different abilities, literacy)

Match Closure & Re-Matching

• Closures must be handled delicately due to difficult pasts

• Ensure mentors have the skills to end the relationship in a healthy way

Youth Perspectives

What else do we need to consider when providing mentoring

opportunities for youth who face barriers to success?

Addressing Power Dynamics

• Youth facing barriers to success may feel especially disempowered given their past life experiences

• Rather than gloss over or ignore issues of power and privilege, it is important for service providers, mentors, and youth themselves to acknowledge the role that power plays in their lives and the development of their relationships

• Crossing the Line Activity:

http://ontariomentoringcoalition.ca/mentoringyouthfacingbarriers/key-resources-webinars/

Providing Trauma-Informed Services

• Youth who face multiple barriers to success are more likely to have experienced trauma

• It is important for program staff and mentors to work from a trauma-informed framework, so they can best serve the mentees

• Refer to Trauma-Informed Practices Guide:

http://bccewh.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/2013_TIP-Guide.pdf

Tailoring Your Program

• It is equally important that your program is specifically designed for the individual needs of each youth

• Toolkit table for each youth population

Tailoring Your Program

• Body Mapping Activity

Video:

https://youtu.be/V58j-9ze3dg

How can we build our capacity for program evaluation?

Program Evaluation

• Definition:

“The systematic determination of the quality and/or value of something” (Michael Scriven,1991)

• Evaluation can help programs and organizations in:meeting funding requirements

assessing how their programs are working

developing best practices

measuring their impact

improving existing programs

testing new ideas

supporting decision-making

engaging other partners

Performance Monitoring Criteria

Purpose Questions Indicators

Capturing:

Activities Inputs Outputs

Who?What?When?Where?How many?How often?How long?

- # staff, partners, space- costs and in-kind contributions- # mentee / mentor applications - # participants accepted- # participants trained- # matches- # and type of activities- attendance / retention- duration of matches- # match completions (rate)

Mentoring Program Evaluation

Process Evaluation Criteria

Purpose Questions Indicators

Assessing:

Processes Procedures Implementation

Did we do what we said we would do? Why / why not?

To what extent do our mentoring relationships meet the critical benchmarks of quality mentoring relationships?

What is working well, what is not working well, what should be improved?

- fidelity to policies and procedures

- staff perspectives- mentee’s view of the

relationship- mentor’s view of the

relationship- participant satisfaction

with the program- parent satisfaction- partner satisfaction- evaluator observation- strengths & challenges- lessons learned

Mentoring Program Evaluation

Impact Evaluation Criteria

Purpose Questions Indicators

Examining:

Outcomes

Impacts / Effects

- short-term- medium-term- longer-term

To what extent did our efforts change participants’ knowledge / attitudes / behaviours?

Have participants and others benefitted from their experience in the program? How?

Increased:- knowledge - positive attitudes - self-concept- social & emotional

wellbeing- skills for…- school engagement- community

engagement- employment

participation- decreased justice

involvement

Mentoring Program Evaluation

Mentoring Program Evaluation

Engage Stakeholders &

Participants

Establish Objectives & Expected Outcomes

Determine Success Measures

& Key Indicators

Develop Data Collection Strategies

& Collect Data

Analyze Data & Reach Conclusions

Identify Improvements &

implement Changes

Program Evaluation Resources

• Program Evaluation Toolkit by the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child & Youth Mental Health

• Project Evaluation Guide For Non-Profit Organizations: Fundamental Methods & Steps by Imagine Canada

• Tools for Evaluating Your Mentoring Program by the Search Institute

• Tools to Establish Evaluation Criteria & Methods by MENTOR, 2015

• Data Collection Methods Toolkit by Northwest Center for Public Health Practice

What are the best practices in program management and

sustainability planning?

SUSTAINABILITY:

“the overall stability of an initiative; its ability to weather temporary challenges, provide quality services in the present, and maintain a solid foundation for its future”

Program Sustainability

6 Key Strategies for Sustainability

Sources

• A detailed list of References can be found in the Literature Review and within the Toolkit that will be posted online at:

www.ontariomentoringcoalition.ca/mentoringyouthfacingbarriers

Questions & Discussion

Contact Information

• Ontario Mentoring Coalition

• Beth Malcolm, Canadian Women’s Foundationbmalcolm@canadianwomen.org

• Cathy Denyer,fFormerly of Big Brothers Big Sisters Torontocdenyer5@gmail.com

• Resource Developers / Webinar Facilitators

• Dr. Melanie Baniamel@melaniebania.ca

with funding provided by:

• Vanessa Chase, MCAvanessalschase@gmail.com