1-072 - Mentoring that Makes a Difference: The Importance of Trust, Attunement and Opportunities

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Abundant literature indicates the benefits of mentoring relationships in the lives of youth; however, research is not clear on what enables these relationships to be most effective in the lives of youth. The proposed symposium presents new findings from three papers using data consisting of ethnically diverse adolescents and adult leaders in order to deepen an understanding of healthy and effective adult-adolescent relationships.

Despite the diverse samples and methodologies, the papers taken together provide new insight into what characterizes effective adult mentors. Using a person-centered analytic approach with a national sample of adolescents, paper 1 explored associations between levels of relational engagement with positive youth development outcomes. Results demonstrate that relationships with adults who are perceived to “get” youth by showing high levels of attunement and providing opportunities for youth are more highly correlated with various PYD outcomes. Using an attachment framework and urban sample, paper 2 reports the mediating effects of adolescent empathy and exploration behavior on adult trust and youth prosocial intentions and actions. Using constructivist grounded theory approach with a sample of noted youth leaders, paper 3 identifies the importance of engaging in caring relationships, facilitating opportunities to learn new skills, and providing opportunities to apply these skills as means of promoting positive outcomes in youth.

In addition, the symposium features an expert youth-practitioner discussant who serves as president of a leading foundation supporting PYD research and practice. In addition, two seasoned chairs in the areas of mentoring and PYD will facilitate dialogue among presenters and attendees.

Sub Unit

• Social Relationships

Chairs

• Pamela Ebstyne King, Fuller Theological Seminary

• Jeanne Rhodes, University of Massachusetts, Boston

Discussant

• Nicole Taylor, No Institutional Affiliation

Individual Presentations

• Adults who "get": Adolescents perceptions of relational engagement with key adults - Presenting Author: Laura A. Yoviene, University of Massachusetts Boston; Jeanne Rhodes, University of Massachusetts, Boston

• Exploring mediators of the relationship between adolescent trust in a nonfamilial adult and prosocial intentions and behavior - Brooke Fullmer Yetter, Fuller Theological Seminary; Presenting Author: Pamela Ebstyne King, Fuller Theological Seminary

• “I’m not going to quit you”: A grounded theory of leaders’ influences on Positive Youth Development in Boy Scouts of America - Presenting Author: Rachel Masha Hershberg, Tufts University; Paul A. Chase, Tufts University; Robey Champine, Tufts University; Lacey Hilliard, Tufts University; Richard M Lerner, Tufts University; Edmond P. Bowers, Clemson University