TY - JOUR
T1 - Mentors' experiences of mentoring justice-involved adolescents
T2 - A narrative of developing cultural consciousness through connection
AU - Duron, Jacquelynn F.
AU - Williams-Butler, Abigail
AU - Schmidt, Adam T.
AU - Colon, Leslie
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC
PY - 2020/9/1
Y1 - 2020/9/1
N2 - Mentoring provides a relational intervention that can promote positive youth development among adolescents who are involved in the juvenile justice system. The perspectives of mentors engaging these youth, particularly insights considered through a cultural humility lens, have been largely absent from the literature to date. This study examined predominately White, middle- to upper-class adult mentors' experiences mentoring racially diverse, working-class youth. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were completed with 23 mentors participating in a community-based mentoring program. Themes were derived from inductive content analysis. Emergent themes illustrative of the mentoring process included (a) establishing a connection despite differences, (b) identifying mentees' personal and environmental challenges, and (c) raising consciousness around structural issues. Despite coming from different backgrounds and experiences, mentors who worked with justice-involved adolescents were motivated to connect with their mentees. Mentors developed a greater awareness of structural challenges influencing adolescents by learning about the multifaceted experiences and needs of their mentees.
AB - Mentoring provides a relational intervention that can promote positive youth development among adolescents who are involved in the juvenile justice system. The perspectives of mentors engaging these youth, particularly insights considered through a cultural humility lens, have been largely absent from the literature to date. This study examined predominately White, middle- to upper-class adult mentors' experiences mentoring racially diverse, working-class youth. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were completed with 23 mentors participating in a community-based mentoring program. Themes were derived from inductive content analysis. Emergent themes illustrative of the mentoring process included (a) establishing a connection despite differences, (b) identifying mentees' personal and environmental challenges, and (c) raising consciousness around structural issues. Despite coming from different backgrounds and experiences, mentors who worked with justice-involved adolescents were motivated to connect with their mentees. Mentors developed a greater awareness of structural challenges influencing adolescents by learning about the multifaceted experiences and needs of their mentees.
KW - community-based mentoring
KW - cultural humility
KW - justice-involved youth
KW - mentor
KW - qualitative
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85087878547&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/jcop.22415
DO - 10.1002/jcop.22415
M3 - Article
C2 - 32667063
AN - SCOPUS:85087878547
SN - 0090-4392
VL - 48
SP - 2309
EP - 2325
JO - Journal of Community Psychology
JF - Journal of Community Psychology
IS - 7
ER -