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Boston HERC Mentor Program

Boston HERC Mentor Program. Peer Mentoring. What exactly is peer mentoring?. There are different models that involve youth helping younger youth. Each has its own primary purpose and focus, but there is a tendency for people to interchange the terms when discussing

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Boston HERC Mentor Program

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  1. Boston HERC Mentor Program Peer Mentoring

  2. What exactly is peer mentoring? There are different models that involve youth helping younger youth. Each has its own primary purpose and focus, but there is a tendency for people to interchange the terms when discussing peer programs in general. The term “peer helping programs” refers to the broad category of programs involving youth serving youth. Recently, the term “cross-age” has been used to describe peer programs in which the peer helper is older than the student being helped. There are several Peer/cross-age models but our focus will be on mentoring.

  3. Peer/Cross-Age Mentoring Students develop an encouraging and supportive relationship with other students, usually younger in age, for the primary purpose of providing broad support, guidance, and friendship.

  4. Peer/cross-age mentoring Very distinct from the other models in the length and intensity of the relationship and the focus on broad, developmental outcomes rather than specific, prescribed outcomes.

  5. What the research says… these type of programs: • Have a positive impact on peer mentors, the students they serve, and the general school population.

  6. What the research says… • Have a positive effect on the mentees’ connectedness to school, parents, and their sense of future. Findings also suggest that increased parental involvement has an effect on the improvements

  7. Outcomes • Personal development • Communication • Decision making and problem solving • Conflict resolution/violence prevention

  8. Program Design and Implementation • Screen peer/cross-age mentors to find those who are most likely to persist. These are not always the high achievers in school, but those who have a genuine interest in helping others, are able to be empathetic, and can identify with others.

  9. Program Design and Implementation • Establish outcomes for both mentees and peer mentors. These outcomes will have measurable objectives for both participants that will be identified and tracked throughout the match.

  10. Program Design and Implementation • Clearly define and state roles, responsibilities, policies, and procedures to mentors and mentees. Young people need structure and clear Expectations. What may seem obvious to an adult may be unclear to a young person.

  11. Program Design and Implementation • Build significant support for mentors into the program design, including thorough initial training, ongoing training and monitoring, time for debriefing, and group activities for mentors. Support will include easy access to staff who can offer advice and provide additional resources if needed.

  12. Program Design and Implementation • Adapt training materials designed for adult mentors to be more “youth friendly”. Young people may need more direct coaching than adults, and while they have many strengths, they may lack the experience to handle some situations with good judgment.

  13. Program Design and Implementation • Help peer mentors understand the developmental focus of the mentoring relationship. Emphasize that they are a role model for younger students and can help their mentee overcome shyness, gain self-esteem, handle difficult social situations, and become more confident. They will be informed that missed appointments or ending the relationship early can negate the positive work they are doing with mentees.

  14. Program Design and Implementation • There will be high expectations for peer mentors and help to follow through with the program’s objectives. Responsible behaviors will be publicly recognized throughout the school community.

  15. Resources Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (n.d.). School-based mentoring study: Phase II report 2003–04 school year.Effective practices. Philadelphia: Author. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. (1998). Developing a highschool BIGS program: A practical guide for Big Brothers BigSisters agencies. Philadelphia, PA: Author. California Association of Peer Programs. (2005). About peer programs. Pasadena, CA: Author. Retrieved 12/15/05 from http ://www .cappeer. org/all _about _peer_ programs.htm. Cole, T. (1999). Kids helping kids: A peer helping and peer mediation training manual for elementary and middle school teachers and counselors. Victoria, BC: Peer Resources. Karcher, M.J. (2005). Mentoring adolescents. In D.L. DuBoisand M.J. Karcher (Eds.), Handbook of youth mentoring (p.267). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

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