In Focus
Mentoring
Without a caring adult in their life, a young person may drop out of school instead of thriving in their education. In other cases, the absence of a supportive adult could be the difference in youth pursuing their dreams or disengaging from society.
Research has shown mentoring to be an effective strategy in supporting these youth. Mentoring can improve self-esteem, academic achievement, and peer relationships while reducing drug use, aggression, depressive symptoms, and delinquent acts.
Mentors are not replacements for parents, guardians, or teachers, but they can be an important member of the team responsible for a child’s development.
During National Mentoring Month (January), see the Mentoring Special Feature for information and resources from OJP and other federal agencies.
Learn More in the Special Feature
Did You Know?
Are funds available to support juvenile mentoring programs? Current funding opportunities from the Office of Juvenile Justice...Read More
How can I learn about effective juvenile justice programs? The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Model Programs Guide...Read More
Events
- CONFERENCE
- National Mentoring Summit
- January 24-26, 2018 | Washington, DC
- TRAINING
- Mentoring in the Age of Social Media
- February 9, 2018 | New Haven, CT
- TRAINING
- Designing and Building a Successful Mentoring Program
- May 10, 2018 | Wethersfield, CT
Publications and Resources
- Associations between Parental Characteristics, Attitudes, and Engagement on Mentoring Relationship Outcomes
- This Research in Brief details an evaluation of a youth mentoring program that assessed the impact of three types of parent/guardian factors on the length, strength, and outcomes of the mentoring relationships.
- Model Programs Guide (MPG): Mentoring
- The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s MPG contains information about and ratings of evidence-based juvenile justice and youth prevention, intervention, and reentry programs, including those that focus on mentoring activities.
- National Mentoring Resource Center
- With support from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the National Mentoring Resource Center serves as a comprehensive and reliable resource for mentoring tools and information, as well as program and training materials and technical assistance.
