Research in Action Series

Why Youth Mentoring Relationships End

Overview of Research in Action Series

• MENTOR has developed an innovative series - Research in Action

• Translates the latest research on mentoring into tangible strategies for mentoring practitioners.

• Makes the best available research accessible and relevant to the mentoring field.  

• Using the Research in Action series, programs can ensure their practices are based on current research, resulting in improved services and better impacts for young people.

• 10 issues

• Each issue provides:  – Research– Action – Resources

Overview of Research in Action Series

Research in Action Issues:1. Mentoring: A Key Resource for Promoting Positive

Youth Development2. Effectiveness of Mentoring Program Practices3. Program Staff in Youth Mentoring Programs:

Qualifications, Training, and Retention4. Fostering Close and Effective Relationships in Youth

Mentoring Programs5. Why Youth Mentoring Relationships End6. School-Based Mentoring7. Cross-Age Peer Mentoring8. Mentoring Across Generations: Engaging 50+ Adults

as Mentors9. Youth Mentoring: Do Race and Ethnicity Really

Matter?10. Mentoring: A Promising Intervention for Children of

Prisoners

Mentor Michigan Webinar Series

• www.mentormichigan.org

• Click on “Training & Technical Assistance”

Issue 5: Why Youth Mentoring Relationships End

• Renée Spencer, Ed.D., LICSW, Boston University

• Issue available for free download at MENTOR’s website– www.mentoring.org– “Access Research” Tab Research in

Action

Issue 5 - Overview

• Introduction• Youth and Mentor Characteristics• Relationship Processes• Program Factors• Themes: Early Ending Matches• Preventing Relationship Failure• ACTION• Resources

Introduction

What happens when mentoring relationships do not go well?

POLL

Is match retention an issue in your program?

• Yes, it is a critical issue

• No

• Not sure

Relationship Failure

• Only approximately half of formal mentoring relationships last beyond a few months

• Rate is even worse among more vulnerable youth

• When relationships end within the first three months they have potential to do harm

Negative Experiences

• Fundamental component of all interpersonal relationships

• Negative experiences more significant for participants in mentoring relationships

• Challenges of formal mentoring matches

Current Research

• Youth and Mentor Characteristics

• Relationship Processes

• Program Factors

• Early Ending Matches

Youth and Mentor Characteristics

Youth• Age at time of

match• Risk status• Gender

Mentors• Income• Marital status• Age

These matches may require a greater investment on the part of the program in

the way of training, monitoring, and ongoing support and supervision to ensure

the success of the relationships

Relationship Processes

Longer, Stronger MatchesRelationship duration and strength are

associated with positive youth outcomes

• Duration – matches lasting for at least one year– Calendar or academic year, depending on program

• Strength – participants feel a sense of closeness or personal connection– Matching on the basis of shared interests may help

facilitate this connection

Other Process Factors

• Consistency of contact– Matches meet several times each

month, for a minimum of 4 hours per month (One hour per week, on average)

• Match activities

• Mentor’s approach– Developmental or youth-centered

approach produce better outcomes

Program Factors

• Pre-match training and orientation

• Ongoing training• Staff contact

during relationship• Resources/space• Summer contact

More satisfying and effective relationships

(longer, stronger)

POLL

How much training do you offer your mentors?

• Less than one hour• 1-2 hours• 3-4 hours• 5-6 hours• More than 6 hours

Importance of Training

• Mentors receiving fewer than two hours of training reported the lowest levels of closeness and support in their relationships

• Mentors who received more than six hours of training tended to spend more time with their mentees and reported higher levels of closeness

Themes - Early Ending Matches

• Abandonment

• Perceived lack of mentee motivation

• Unfulfilled expectations

• Lack of mentor relational skills

• Family interference

• Lack of agency support

Abandonment and Lack of Interest

• Mentors and youth abandoned by their partners– Stopped returning phone calls– Missed scheduled visits

• Mentors suspect lack of interest from their mentees– Question motivation for joining the

program

Unfulfilled Expectations

• Mentor’s expectations of what they hoped it would be like

• Mentors underestimated the needs of the youth

• Challenges associated with building a relationship with vulnerable youth

Deficiencies in Mentors’ Relational Skills

• Not focused on the youth

• Unrealistic expectations of the youth– Mentor’s expectation of reciprocity in

the relationship

• Inability to bridge cultural divides

Family Interference and Lack of Agency Support

• Unsupportive family members– Interfering with communication between

the mentor and youth

• Lack of support and encouragement from programs for struggling relationships

Preventing Relationship Failures

• Some endings are unavoidable

• However, many relationships end due to factors that could have been prevented– Practices that can be used to manage

some of the themes of early ending matches

Preventing Relationship Failures

• Higher levels of program support– Particularly when matching older youth or

those with more complex difficulties and issues

– Nurture the development of female matches

• Screen mentors for consistency and continuity– Lengthy breaks between college terms,

heavy work or family responsibilities, etc

Clear Expectations for the Relationship

• Strategy to prevent matches from ending early when these expectations are not met

• Spend time during the pre-match orientation and training process to help mentors and mentees identify their expectations for the match– Nature of the mentoring relationship– Addressing typical challenges that may

arise during the relationship

Discuss Closure

• Discuss options for ending a relationship during initial orientation and training– Do not simply abandon the

relationship

• Appropriate termination or match closure procedure to reduce the negative effects for both parties

Addressing Cross-Cultural Differences

• Cultural training for participants– Effectively engaging in cross-cultural

relationships– Cultural knowledge, skills, and personal

awareness– Can be addressed during mentor pre-

match and ongoing training

• In addition, programs can make efforts to recruit mentors with more similar backgrounds to the children they serve

Match Support

• Monitoring of matches– Regular contact with matches of a

periodic basis– Identify and manage issues before

they cause a match to end

• Ongoing training for mentors– Assistance with challenging situations– Further develop skills as a mentor

Conclusion

• Once the match between a mentor and a young person is made, the work has only just begun

• Identify and address common pitfalls to better support mentors and youth in their efforts to build close, enduring, and growth-promoting relationships

• “Do No Harm”

ACTION Section

• Typical match descriptions or “relationship prototypes”

• Used in a variety of ways:– Prospective mentor interviews– Mentor training– Supervision or ongoing training

• Assess mentor expectations about the match, gauge mentor relational skills and motivation, determine amount of agency support needed

Prototype Descriptions

1. Mentee Temperament

2. Mentee Motivation/Engagement

3. Mentee Environment

4. Personal Mentee Challenges

5. Relationship intensity

Example Prototype

MENTOR

• The leader in expanding the power of mentoring to millions of young Americans who want and need adult mentors.–Match Support and Supervision–Match Closure

www.mentoring.org

National organization that provides training and technical assistance to youth mentoring programs. – http://educationnorthwest.org/nmc

– Mentor/Mentee Training and Relationship Support Resources

• http://educationnorthwest.org/resource/364

Education Northwest: National Mentoring Center

Questions or Comments?

This presentation provides an overview

of Research in Action Issue 5: Why Youth Mentoring Relationships End

This tool was produced by MENTOR/The National Mentoring Partnership and can be accessed on their website:

www.mentoring.org