Improving Relationship Outcomes Using Cultural Competence & Communication Training for Mentors and Enhanced Match Support

This program seeks to enhance the understanding of mentoring as a prevention strategy for youth who are at risk of involvement or already involved in the juvenile justice system. While mentoring appears to be a promising intervention for youth, more evaluation work is needed to further highlight the components of a mentoring program that are most effective. In addition, there is a need for research specifically demonstrating the components of mentoring programs that have a significant impact in reducing juvenile delinquency and offending. This solicitation seeks to fund research studies on juvenile mentoring that will inform the design and delivery of mentoring programs. It is expected that the results of this effort will encourage a more effective utilization of resources as well as enhance the implementation of evidence-based best practices for juvenile mentoring. This program is authorized by the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, Pub. L. 112-110.

Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) in partnership with Big Brothers/Big Sisters-Kentuckiana (BBBS-KY), seeks to understand whether additional training and enhanced support for mentors in a community-based mentoring program can improve quality of match, match length and youth outcomes. Data from youth and mentors in the BBBS-KY program in the metro Louisville area will be used. PIRE will develop, implement and evaluate an intervention that provides additional training and enhanced match support for mentors. This project fills a critical gap in the literature as it focuses on assessing both training needs and support strategies for mentors. The importance of training has been identified as an important variable in the mentoring research literature.

CA/NCF