Adolescence

Dondero, G.M. (1997, Winter). Mentors: Beacons of hope. Adolescence, pp. 881-886.

OVERVIEW

In 1983 the scathing, benchmark report, "A Nation at Risk," was published. Its cry was to establish immediate help for our young people who were ill-prepared to enter the workforce of the 21st century. The message was clear—our schools were failing them. One of the strongest recommendations that came from this report was, in fact, an age old idea that actually continues to work—mentoring. Continuing research shows that mentoring is one of the five short-term imperatives required for reversing the negative drop-out trends of high school students. (Smink, 1990) Mentoring is a powerful way to provide adult contacts for youth who receive little or no guidance. Adult mentors can and definitely serve as beacons of hope for young people adrift in an uncertain world.

DESIGN

The problems facing the American youth seem overwhelming. High drop out rates, poverty, and crime, coupled with poor nutrition and inadequate health care are only a few some of such problems. Research addressing dropouts, poverty, and crime were tabulated to establish the effects of caring adults being absent from young people’s lives. To provide for young people today is a monumental task. To make ends meet, many parents work overtime or hold two jobs, leaving little time for parent-child interaction.

FINDINGS

• Rates for dropouts actually improved for whites and blacks, but not for Hispanics.
• It is understood that poverty rates are high among minority young people. However, the statistic that is of concern is the percentage of young people living in female-headed households. The percentages have risen dramatically. For all children, the figure rose from 24% in 1960 to 59% in 1991; for black children specifically, the statistics rose from 29% to 83% during the same time frame.
• In the crime category, youth account for 14% of arrests for murder, 15% of arrests for rape, 30% of arrests for larceny and theft, and for automobile thefts, 43%.

CONCLUSIONS

• The lack of adequate adult support allows young people to be vulnerable to negative ideas, values, and forces.
• Mentoring programs can offer help in counteracting forces by providing a positive relationship in which young people are empowered.

CRITIQUE AND EVALUATION

This review is a strong and wonderfully inclusive dissertation on mentoring and the "how-to"s of establishing mentoring programs. (See the Model of Program under this topic.) The most interesting background given is in the origin of the word mentor. Mentor was the name of the loyal friend of Odysseus. Preparing to leave for the Trojan War, Odysseus entrusted the care of his son to Mentor. The word "mentor" has come since to mean a loyal, wise, and trusted teacher, and friend. Translated into today’s vernacular, it stands for any caring, mature person who forms a one-on-one relationship with someone in need serving as a role model, offering friendship, guidance, and stability. A mentor represents a commitment to values while promoting a sense of personal worth, fostering self-realization, helping broaden opportunities and assisting in making intelligent choices.

IMPLICATIONS

1. Mentors are in a unique position to help sustain young people during trying periods of adolescence.
2. A mentoring relationship often provides a teenager an ever-caring adult they can turn to when things seem impossible.
3. Mentoring is a rewarding experience. A sense of personal satisfaction, a feeling of accomplishment, and the joy of helping others from one’s personal experiences is fulfilling to the mentor. It enhances one’s self-esteem and provides a sense of usefulness.
4. Youth work should corner the market on mentoring. Mentoring, combined with the unconditional love, can speak volumes to kids.

Anne Montague cCYS