Going the distance: A longitudinal qualitative study of formal youth mentoring relationship development

• DOI: 10.1002/jcop.23006
• Publication Date: 2023-01-24T23:59:01Z
• Authors: Renée Spencer; Alison L. Drew; Grace Gowdy
• Keywords: Positive Youth Development; Adolescent Development

More enduring formal youth mentoring relationships tend to be more effective, but our understanding of how such develop and are sustained remains limited. This prospective, qualitative study examined the development 67 one-to-one, community-based over a 2-year period. Data included interviews with mentors, youth, youth's parent/guardian across multiple time-points agency case notes. Five developmental trajectories were identified: (a) continued growth, (b) initial growth that plateaued, (c) followed by decline then recovery, (d) no (e) little or connection. Matches in recovery groups experienced participants as meaningful connections. Factors appeared have contributed these different interest relationship, mentor empathy, flexibility, commitment, program support.