Reflections on Research

Over the last few decades, the Search Institute has been leading the way in our understanding of both the assets youth need to thrive and the supportive, developmental relationships they need with adults in order to reach their potential. This episode features a lively discussion with Drs. Amy Syversten and Cecilia Saddler, who share findings from key new research into developmental relationships and discuss their work to apply those insights into the work of teachers and others who can take relationship-centered approaches to supporting youth of all ages.

In this episode, Dr. Michelle Kaufman of Johns Hopkins University joins us to discuss e-mentoring research and practice. As the COVID-19 pandemic has shut down schools and youth-serving programs, leaders have increasingly turned to technology-delivered mentoring interactions, while also recognizing that these digital tools also hold great promise for non-crisis application, as well. Join us as Dr. Kaufman talks about what we know about e-mentoring and her own research into the use of digital tools to bring youth and caring adults together in relationship.

In this episode, NMRC Research Board member Dr. Julia Pryce of Loyola (Chicago) discusses her research on the concept of mentor-youth “attunement” and why mentors and staff need to emphasize reading youth cues in order to strengthen the relationship and make the mentoring experience more enjoyable and stress-free for all participants.

Julia Freeland Fisher of the Christensen Institute joins the show to talk about her recent book, Who You Know: Unlocking Innovations That Expand Students' Networks. We discuss research on how "weak tie" relationships with adults support youth in the pursuit of their goals, how educational institutions can reform their structures to provide more networking connections and enhanced learning for students, and the role that technology can play in sharing social capital and building bridges to opportunity.

In this episode, Drs. Gizem Erdem and Michelle Kaufman join us to discuss their recent research summary on mentoring and substance misuse, exploring how adult mentors can support young people who have been impacted by substance misuse in the home or who are struggling with addiction issues themselves. We review the ways in which mentors can be part of prevention and treatment, with a special emphasis on the opioid crisis.

Dr. David DuBois is joined by program leader Elizabeth Higley to discuss their recent evaluation of the Great Life Mentoring program, which provides mentoring services for youth who are receiving clinical mental health services. This interview offers both practitioner and researcher insights into how this program is able to utilize volunteer mentors in conjunction with clinical services and details a number of positive outcomes that the program has produced related to the functioning and time in treatment for youth referred to the program. A great way of hearing both researcher and program staff perspectives and an illustration of what it can look like when those groups collaborate effectively around evaluation.

Dr. Michael Karcher of the University of Texas-San Antonio joins us for a discussion about his recent evaluation of the Youth Advocates Program and their positive results around youth recidivism. We also discuss his long career in research and the ways in which he feels mentors can best transform youth and help them feel seen and valued. (52 min.)

In part two of our interview with Liz Raposa and Jean Rhodes, We go deeper into the possible directions for the mentoring field based on the findings of their meta-analysis and other factors. They make a compelling case for training mentors to be effective delivery systems for evidence-based interventions, although that shift might result in major changes for the mentoring field and how volunteers spend their time. Anyone interested in the future of relationship-based interventions like mentoring will find interesting ideas in this discussion.

This episode is part 1 of our interview with Elizabeth Raposa and Jean Rhodes about their recent meta-analysis of youth mentoring programs (and more). Their groundbreaking study examined the overall effectiveness of one-to-one mentoring programs for youth, as well as the activities and circumstances that influence that effectiveness. This discussion should interest funders and policymakers in addition to program leaders.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Sam McQuillin of the University of South Carolina to discuss his innovative research on short-term school-based mentoring, as well as his thoughts on how we can improve the mentoring that happens in schools and the concept of enlisting mentors to offer more meaningful support to youth with mental health and other challenges. Sam is one of the most innovative thought leaders in the mentoring movement and this hour-long interview is full of keen insights and interesting ideas for practitioners and policymakers.