Male Mentors – Where are You? Mentor Recruitment Obstacles and Opportunities

• In Event: Mentoring, Service Programming & Experiential Learning with Juveniles

Abstract

Mentoring has been found to improve youth outcomes, including behaviors related to delinquency and potential involvement in the juvenile justice system. However, the success of any mentoring program hinges first on the ability to recruit mentors. For many youth mentoring organizations, recruiting male mentors is a great challenge and limits the organization’s ability to meet the needs of boys in their community.
In this presentation, we first describe findings from an OJJDP- funded study exploring the relationship between recruitment and payment to mentors as one option to addressing the recruitment challenge. Using data from a nationally representative sample of men in the general population who participated in a telephone survey, we describe the obstacles and opportunities for recruiting male mentors. Second, using data from a survey conducted with attendees at a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor orientation session [approximately 500 surveys], we describe the specific motivations and obstacles mentors reported before committing to a mentoring relationship. Based on findings presented, we will offer suggestions on strategies youth mentoring agencies might use to address the obstacles to recruiting male mentors and the types of recruitment efforts that may yield male mentors.

Authors

• Stephanie Hawkins Anderson, RTI International

• James Trudeau, RTI International

• Jason Williams, RTI International

• Karen Morgan, RTI International