The long‐term effects of youth mentoring on student mentors' civic engagement attitudes and behavior

Abstract

The current study was designed to explore the delayed effect of participating in youth mentoring programs, training in civic engagement, and activism on a sample of 337 Israelis 5 to 10 years after serving as student mentors. Qualitative and quantitative findings showed that these former mentors' perception of the contribution of mentoring was correlated with their current civic engagement attitudes and activism. Further, the perceived quality of training during mentoring was correlated with the overall perceived contribution of mentoring and current civic engagement attitudes. A mediation model showed that the perceived quality of training was correlated with the former mentors' perceived mentoring contribution. This in turn was correlated with current civic engagement attitudes, which themselves were correlated with their current civic engagement activism. The former mentors' narratives revealed their attainment of new skills and abilities, including an increased ability to relate to and understand young children and disadvantaged populations.

Being a mentor in the digital era: An exploratory study of the benefits undergraduate student mentors derived from providing virtual mentoring to youth

“…Virtual mentors described a number of positive outcomes resulting from their virtual mentoring experiences, including the reduction of biases and development of cultural humility, interpersonal growth, and a sense of civic responsibility. These domains of influence are consistent with findings from similar research studies examining the benefits mentors derive from their face‐to‐face relationships with youth (Anderson & Dubois, 2022; e.g., Duron et al, 2020; Goldner & Golan, 2017; Haddock et al, 2017; Hughes et al, 2009; Lee et al, 2017; Trepanier‐Street, 2007; Weiler et al, 2013; Weiler et al, 2014). Indeed, a recently published scoping review showed that qualitative explorations of how adults may be influenced by their experience mentoring youth have almost universally described positive growth or other desirable change (Anderson & Dubois, 2022).…”

The Confucian Value of Benevolence and Volunteering Among Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of Functional Motives

“…In particular, volunteering can meet volunteers' needs, such as career enhancement, learning new skills, building social relationship, escaping from negative feelings, and improving self-esteem (Clary et al, 1998;Smith et al, 2010). Moreover, in the field of education, volunteering plays a vital role in cultivating students' civic spirit and sense of social responsibility (Goldner & Golan, 2017;Lin, 2015;Rockenbach et al, 2014). Therefore, volunteering participation has gradually become a basic requirement for college students.…”

Social Validity and Preliminary Outcomes of a Mentoring Intervention for Adolescents and Adults With Autism

“…Considering the reciprocal relationship of mentoring, mentors with ASD may also glean unique benefits. For instance, neurotypical mentors realize benefits in areas such as civic engagement, interpersonal skills, and self-esteem (Goldner & Golan, 2017; Weiler etal., 2013). Serving as a mentor could provide opportunity for social participation, an important avenue by which adults with ASD experience greater quality of life (Tobin etal., 2014).…”