Program Survey Report June 2015

VOLUNTEER YOUTH

MENTORING Children’s Friend and Family Services: Spring 2015

From March 2015 to May 2015, Volunteer Youth Mentoring Program

Director, Samantha Alves, collected survey data from active program

participants. Each of the program participant surveys is intended to measure

participant program satisfaction. The parent/guardian and mentee data was

collected via mail-in surveys, phone interview surveys, and in-person surveys.

Volunteer survey data was collected through online polling from a single

entry survey on surveymonkey.com as well as via mail-in surveys. Data was

analyzed through December 2014 and has been compiled for a December

2014 report. This report provides the data sets, summary of the data, and

steps the Program Director will take to improve the overall participant

satisfaction levels. While most participants reported general satisfaction in

the volunteer youth mentoring program, the Program Director recognizes

the suggestions made and opportunities for program improvement. The

Children’s Friend and Family Services Youth Mentoring Program enjoys a

Quality-Based Mentoring Partnership with the Mass Mentoring Partnership;

Mass Mentoring Partnership is a driving force for Youth Mentoring Programs

throughout Massachusetts to receive best-practice training, program

development tools, and many in-kind donations to directly benefit match

activities. We appreciate support from the United Way of Massachusetts Bay

and Merrimack Valley. The North Shore United Way has ensured the Youth

Mentoring program’s long-term success with years of investment. It is the

intention of the Program Director and all those affiliated with Children’s

Friend and Family Services to offer a strongly supportive and engaging

volunteer youth mentoring program for the communities the agency serves.

Samantha Alves, LCSW

Director of Youth Mentoring, Children’s Friend and Family Services

June 2015


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Volunteer Youth Mentoring

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Children’s Friend and Family Services (Children’s Friend) Volunteer Youth Mentoring program vision is, “To establish positive, healthy, and productive mentoring matches that will enhance the young person’s social, emotional, and educational outcomes.”

Mentors are supported with resources and best-practice training opportunities to learn how to connect with their mentees and maintain a well-balanced match by integrating fun, skill building, and youth development. Various private grants have allowed the program to supply volunteers with museum passes, movie tickets, professional and minor league sporting tickets, and other arts/entertainment passes. Mentoring is a viable element of the Children’s Friend continuum of care, and is integrated within the long-term success plans of many of our mentees as they transition away from traditional behavioral health care supportive services. Mentees of the Youth Mentoring program come from the communities of Dracut, Methuen, Lawrence, Amesbury, Salisbury, North Andover, Middleton, Danvers, Peabody, Woburn, Lynn, Nahant, Salem, Swampscott, Beverly, Wenham, Gloucester, and Rockport. The present program has 44 active matches. There are currently 38 children on the program waitlist. Mentees come from many different home environments, including two parent homes, single-parent families, kinship care, residential facilities, and foster care families. Many of our mentees are from single-parent homes; about a quarter are being raised in kinship care (primarily their grandparents) due to parental incarceration or death. The average match-duration for program participants is just over 3 years; over a dozen continue to meet on a weekly basis after 5 years. Four matches have lasted from 6-9 years.

Recruitment for more male mentors is an ongoing challenge. Presently, 38% of Children’s Friend volunteer mentors are males; this is up 2% from the Fall 2014 Survey Report. In the summer of 2015, it is the program leadership’s expectation that new recruitment tactics will emerge from multiple Mentor-Think Tank events which will allow current mentors to brainstorm opportunities, networking resources, and general materials. These tactics will support an increase in match numbers. Additionally, it may yield new and sustainable routes for mentor recruitment. In April 2015, the program was notified that it had been awarded a matching grant for $8,000, sponsored by the Massachusetts Service Alliance and the Corporation for National and Community Services. The resources provided by this grant will increase funding for mentor recruitment and provide additional resources for match support.

In early Spring 2015, the Children’s Friend Youth Mentoring program was awarded one 2015-2016 AmeriCorps service member through the collaborative grant application of the Highland Street AmeriCorps Ambassadors of Mentoring and Mass Mentoring Partnership. This AmeriCorps service member will work strategically to build program capacity in the areas of recruitment, mentee training opportunities, parent engagement, and program evaluation. Throughout 2014 and into 2015, this youth mentoring program has been awarded over $60,000 in grants; we continue to seek competitive and diverse funding resources to increase program capacity for current and future mentoring matches.

“There are currently

38 children on the

program waitlist.”


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QUICK PROGRAM FACTS

Mentees are between the ages of 5 and 18.

Mentees come from throughout Essex County.

Mentee diversity includes 14% African American, 5% Asian, 47% Caucasian, 30% Hispanic/Latino, and 4% identify

as “other”.

Mentor diversity includes 5% Hispanic/Latino, 2% American Indian, 5% African American, and 88% self-identify as

Caucasian/White.

About a third of our mentees are growing up in households in which English is not the primary language.

15% of the mentor population is Spanish speaking

Mentors are offered 5-7 on-site training opportunities annually; all material is made available digitally.

Additionally, mentors receive monthly best-practice newsletters with practical support.

The Mentor Resource Library was created in January 2014, with 10 different books regarding positive youth

development and mentoring advice. This Resource Library has grown to more than 2-dozen regularly borrowed

books. There are also academic support workbooks for mentors to use with their mentees.

There are program-wide match activities every other month including 3 Experimental Learning Labs offered to

mentees annually to support life-skill development. Topics of these labs include female empowerment, financial

literacy, leadership development, and professional development, and college visits.

Matches use the “Match Journey Wheel” home-developed curriculum to guide balanced relationships.

Top fields of interest of our mentees include culinary arts, military, information technology, and healthcare.

In 2014, mentors provided an astounding 7,330 combined annual hours supporting their mentees.

Youth Mentoring “Match Journey Wheel” program model


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MASS MENTORING PARTNERSHIP UPDATE: MASS MENTORING COUNTS 2014

The Children’s Friend’s Youth Mentoring Program is a Quality Based Partner Program of Mass Mentoring Partnership (MMP). In the

Spring of 2015, MMP released their “Mass Mentoring Counts” report in collaboration with the UMass Boston Donahue Institute for

Applied Research and Program Evaluation. Children’s Friend’s Youth Mentoring Program has participated in these Mass Mentoring

Counts surveys since 2010. The below information are excerpts from the Mass Mentoring Counts 2014 Executive Summary. For

complete access to this report, please visit http://massmentors.org/content/mass-mentoring-counts-and-youth-development-survey .

http://massmentors.org/content/mass-mentoring-counts-and-youth-development-survey


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PROGRAM PARTICIPANT REPORT SATISFACTION

MENTEE PROGRAM SATISFACTION SURVEY

Data Collected March 2015-June 2015- Sample Size= 21(57%)

DATA TABLES

Adult Support: How Many People In Your Life….

0 1 2 to 3 4 to 5 6+

...Offer help with schoolwork? 0 6 9 6 3

...Say something nice when you do something good? 0 4 9 6 5

...Pay attention to what’s going on in your life? 1 5 6 8 4

...Offer advice about personal problems? 2 3 7 9 3

...Offer to help you if you were really upset or mad? 0 3 5 8 8

Mentor Program

Not True

A Little True

Pretty True

Very True

My mentor makes me happy 0 2 7 15

My mentor makes me feel special 0 3 4 17

I have learned a lot from my mentor 0 3 10 11

My Mentor helps me to make better choices 1 4 4 15

I wish my mentor would not try so hard to get me to talk about thinks I don't want to talk about

12 6 3 3

My mentor knows what is going on in my life 1 5 9 9

My mentor brings me to new places and does new things with me that I have never done

0 3 6 15

Me mentor lets me choose what we do, or we choose together 0 3 4 16

I am doing better in school because of my mentor's help 2 6 10 6

I know a lot about my mentor's life 0 5 12 7

I feel very comfortable with my mentor 0 2 5 17

My mentor has helped me with problems that I have in my life 3 7 6 8

Personal Values

Not at all Important

Somewhat important

Important Very Important

Doing the best in school 0 4 8 12

Doing what I believe is right, even if my friends make fun of me 1 3 5 15

Telling the truth, even when it's not easy 1 1 14 8

Accepting personal responsibility for my actions when I make a mistake or get in trouble

0 2 13 9

Doing my best even when I have to do a job I don't like 0 5 11 8

Helping to make the world a better place in which to live 1 4 5 14


6

12%

21%

29%

38%

Please describe your current school success

I'm Struggling

Doing Okay, needmore help

Doing Okay, gradesgetting better

Very Happy withmy Grades

0

5

10

15

Not at AllLikely

Not VeryLikely

SomewhatLikely

Very Likely

Me

nte

e R

esp

on

ses

When you feel faced with a problem or difficulty, how likely are you to… talk to

someone to find out more about the situation

0

5

10

15

20

Not True at All A Little True Pretty True Very True

My mentor makes me happy

My mentor makes me happy

0%

8%

21%

71%

I feel very comfortable with my mentor

Not True at All

A Little True

Pretty True

Very True

Decision Making

When you feel faced with a problem or difficulty, how likely are you to…

Not at All Likely

Not Very Likely

Somewhat Likely

Very Likely

Go over in my mind what I will say or do 0 5 15 4

Forget the whole thing 2 10 9 3

Come up with a couple of different solutions to the problem 2 4 13 5

Talk to someone to find out more about the situation 2 3 13 6

Go on as if nothing is happening 5 6 8 5

How often do you purposefully not do your best in school

Never 7

Sometimes 9

Often 7

Very Often 1

How often do you pay attention in class

Never 0

Sometimes 9

Often 9

Very Often 6


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MENTEE COMMENTS

“We (my mentor and I) have a good friendship. I can talk to her about pretty much anything and she’s very

supportive.”

“The best part of mentoring is being able to expect someone to come to do something with me.”

“I’m glad I have another guy in my life. Having a role model is good.”

“I like having someone who will do things with me”

“The best part [of having a mentor] is hanging out with him and exploring places.”

“I wish I saw [my mentor] more than once a week. That way we could complete more projects faster and

move onto new ones. I also have an idea that mentees should be able to call and see what day of the week

they want to see their mentor and see if their mentor is free. I don’t like having a schedule.”

“The best part of having a mentor is that it gives me a friend.”

“The best part of having a mentor is doing things I have never done

before. I also went to summer camp from this program, I liked it.”

“My mentor takes me out and we have fun. I like ballet and she goes to my classes with me. I’m getting better

at it.”

“The best part of having a mentor is that I get to talk to someone when I have a problem. I get tons of help

with schoolwork. I also meet new people and visit new places. I learn a lot

from [my mentor].”

“The best part of having a mentor is getting to know each other and getting

to see new places.”

“This program is really fun, just keep doing what you do, don’t change it.”

“The best part of having a mentor is that I can be myself and how we joke

around often. I feel like she’s a part of my family and I’m a part of hers.”

“The only thing I would change is that I would like more mentors.”

“With my mentor I get to do things I have never done before.”

“I love the mentoring program, but I wish that there were more

opportunities to do things that involve the arts, such as plays or musicals. I

would love to go see another show with my mentor!”

“The best part of having a mentor is that I get to go to new p laces and see new things. Like we went to

Orange Leaf, the Aquarium, and The Willows.”

“I like my mentor super much, and I don’t want to change anything.”

“I like having someone who

will do things with me”

“We (my mentor and I) have

a good friendship. I can talk

to her about pretty much

anything and she’s very

supportive.”

“The best part of having a

mentor is that it gives me a

friend.”


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SUMMARY STATEMENTS

This Spring 2015 survey had increased participation from the Fall 2014 (from 49% to 57%); this can likely be

attributed to the Director of Youth Mentoring’s collection of surveys at regular events by asking mentees to take a

moment off from the activity and fill out the survey, as well as the multiple rounds of postal surveys mailed to

mentee’s homes. While the program elected to incur increased postal costs, the yield is increased survey

responses. This data reflects very high mentee rankings in comfort with mentor, that the mentor makes the mentee

happy, that the mentor makes the mentee feel special, and that the mentee has tried new activities and

experiences since being connected with their mentor . Consistent with the Fall 2014 data, the “Personal Values”

area of the survey reports high-ranking values in areas of personal responsibility and telling the truth. However, the

survey has completely inconclusive and mixed responses for all academic areas of questioning; this may be related

to the program’s lack of requirement for mentors to commit to school -based activities. The primary focus of this

mentoring program is enhanced social and emotional development, and improved educational outcomes. These

outcomes may include school behavior, school attendance, or academic standing. Improved mentee support and

training will be developed in part by the 2015-2016 AmeriCorps Ambassador to Mentoring. The program anticipates

improved outcomes in mentee academic reporting in the Spring of 2016. Areas for the staff of Children’s Friend and

Family Services to provide additional support includes increased outreach to mentees to connect them to academic

achievement resources as well as increased training in personal and community asset identification. Each of these

program improvement areas may continue to improve overall mentee satisfaction of sel f and program.


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0 5 10 15 20

Seems Happier

Seems Less Angry

Seems Less Depressed

Seems less aggressive

Is getting along better with friends

Listens better

Feels better about him/herself

Seems more responsible

Seems better behaved at home

seems better behaved at school

Has a better attitude about school?

Since Having a Mentor...

Not Sure

No

Yes

33%

14% 29%

5%

19%

How long has your child had a mentor?

1 year

2 years

3 years

4 years

5+ years

PARENT/GUARDIAN SATISFACTION SURVEY

Data Collected March 2015-June 2015- Sample Size= 22 (50%)

DATA TABLES

1

year 2

years 3

years 4

years 5+

years

How long has your child had a mentor?

7 3 6 2 4

Yes No

Does your child have the same mentor as when he or she started

the program? 19 3

Yes No Sometimes

Does your child to enjoy the time spent with a mentor?

22 0 0

Since having a mentor, my child….

Yes No Not Sure

Seems Happier 16 2 4

Seems Less Angry 14 7 1

Seems Less Depressed 15 6 1

Seems less aggressive 14 4 4

Is getting along better with friends 16 5 1

Listens better 16 4 2

Feels better about him/herself 16 5 1

Seems more responsible 13 9 0

Seems better behaved at home 14 6 2

Seems better behaved at school 16 5 1

Has a better attitude about school? 14 7 1

CHARTS


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PARENT/ GUARDIAN COMMENTS

“There are times I feel like [my child] sees his mentor as more of a reward than a learning experience. But, with his mentor, he is beginning to take his time to make better decisions and to consider more sides of a situation. Having [his mentor] in his life is awesome. My son loves being around his mento r. He makes my son feel like he can rule the world. There have been so many positives that have come from [my son's] mentoring relationship. He is becoming more focused and is seeing things out.”

“Having a mentor allows [my child] to feel like she has a friend, someone who wants to do things with her. [My child's mentor] is very creative on a small monthly budget. My child has become less aggressive, more verbal, and has learned better stress management while in the mentoring program. I have some concerns that [my child's mentor] is calling less frequently, I hope everything is okay.”

“My son is becoming more active as his mentor takes him to the gym. My son's father just passed, so motivation is a real challenge. I would like to see more diverse activities, outside of going to the gym.”

“My daughter benefits from have one on one activity with someone other than me. I am sick a lot and cannot get her places. Now she can get out more. The activities they do are great. I would like my daughter to learn to not need money to be entertained. [Her communication skills] are getting better and she is trying harder to maintain friends.”

“[My daughter] loves her mentor- it's great for her to have an adult (other than mom) that she can trust and talk to.”

“Having a reliable friend and male in [my son's] life is important. He can talk to and spend quality time with [his mentor]. [My son's] father passed away when he was 5, so [his mentor] has been there since elementary school, and he loves him. [His mentor] is always there for him.”

“[My grandson] has more confidence and more self worth after a year with his [mentor]. They're activities are awesome- and very active. He is improving in school too.”

“[My son's mentor] gives friendship and is a reliable male figure. He's a a little young to be goal-oriented, but he says he wants to go to college now, "Like Ty did." I would love it if they did more outdoor activities. He is now less resistant to school, but could absolutely do better. He has had an incredible change in his behavior, and his communication skills have grown tremendously. We are so thankful to be a part of this program!”

“[My son] looks forward to going with his mentor and enjoys most of the activities they do together. He is excited to show me or tell me about the activities. His mood and behavior are improving. [My son] is able to express his feelings better and able to tell me what is bothering him now. It's been a big change for our house.”

“[My daughter] looks up to [her mentor]. She's happier now.”

“[My nephew's] mood has improved, he is less depressed. He always looks forward to seeing [his mentor]”

“[My grandson] has more

confidence and more self worth

after a year with his [mentor].

They're activities are awesome-

and very active. He is improving

in school too.”

“My son loves being around his mentor, he makes my son feel like he can rule the world. There have been so many positives that have come from [my son's] mentoring relationship.”

“[My daughter] looks up to [her mentor]. She's happier now.”


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“Having a mentor is good for kids. They teach them new things and take them to new places. They teach them about relationships and help them have good communication skills. My kids have been lucky with their mentors.”

“[My son] benefits from 1-on-time with a male role model. I would like to see more variety in the activities they do, but [my son] seems to like their routine.”

“Their meeting frequency is really inconsistent. [The mentor] wants [my son] to reach out more, but that’s just not happening. [The mentor] is a very nice man, and a role model, but they don’t see each other as much as I’d like.”

“[My daughter] benefits from the special 1-on-1 time. Their activities are great, with a nice variety.”

“It’s good to having an adult who will spend time with him for fun things.” “This program has provided her a life-long friend.”

SUMMARY STATEMENTS

While this Spring 2015 report has improved parent/guardian participation compared to previous reports (from Fall 2014 40%, to

current Spring 2015 50%), the parent/guardian data collection remains the most difficult and time-intensive, compared to mentor and

mentee data collection. Areas of interest in this data include 90% of mentees have been matched with the same mentor since joining

the program, and the average duration of matches with parents whom have participated in the survey is 2.6 years. This duration

average is slightly below the program average of 3 years, but over double the national mentoring milestone standard of 9-month

match success. Both of these factors contribute to ideal relationship development. Particular survey questions with highly positive

rankings include parent/guardian perception of their mentees getting along better with friends, improved listening, improved

behavior at school, and mentees generally feeling better about themselves. Some areas of concerning reported perceptions of

mentees include limited change in anger and depression management, as well as lack of improvement in overall mentee attitude

about school. Upcoming, the Director of Youth Mentoring and 2015-2016 AmeriCorps Ambassador to Mentoring will work to develop

some parent/guardian training and relationship improvement methods. While communication between program staff and mentee

caregivers has greatly improved since Fall 2013, there must be improvement in areas of consistency and caretaker initiative in

contacting the program.


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MENTOR SATISFACTION SURVEY

Data Collected March 2015-June 2015- Sample Size=25(60%)

DATA TABLE

On average, how often do you see your mentee?

Response

Weekly 14

2-3 times each month 8

Once a month 1

It varies 2

With the support of the mentoring program and our relationship, I think my mentee is better able to express his/her feelings

Response

Somewhat True 13

TRUE 10

FALSE 1

Somewhat True 0

Not Sure 1

With the support of the mentoring program and my relationship, I think my mentee is more committed to academic success.

Response

Somewhat True 13

True 6

False 1

Somewhat False 0

Not Sure 5

Because of the support of the mentoring program and our relationship, I think my mentee feels like he/she has more adults who support and care about him/her.

Response

Somewhat True 9

True 13

False 1

Somewhat False 0

Not Sure 2

With the support of the mentoring program and my relationship, I think my mentee is more interested in opportunities, hobbies, and activities in their community.

Response

Somewhat True 8

True 12

False 1

Somewhat True 1

Not Sure 3

Because of the support of the mentoring program and my relationship my mentee's grades and progress reports have shown actual improvement

Response


13

56% 36%

4%

0%

4%

With the support of the program, my mentee is better able to express their feelings

Somewhat TrueTRUEFALSESomewhat TrueNot Sure

0 5 10 15

Weekly

2-3 times each month

Once a month

it varies

How often do you see your mentee?

32%

48%

4%

4% 12%

With the support of the mentoring program and my relationship, I think my

mentee is more interested in hobbies and activities in their community

Somewhat True

True

False

Somewhat False

Not Sure

8%

28%

64%

How would you rank your overall satisfaction as a volunteer youth mentor for Children's Friend

and Family Services

Not Satisfied

Somewhat Satisfied

Satisfied

Highly Satisfied

Somewhat True 8

True 4

False 4

Somewhat False 1

Not Sure 7

With the support of the mentoring program and my relationship, I think my mentee has a more positive view of his/her future.

Response

Somewhat True 18

True 2

False 1

Somewhat False 1

Not Sure 3

How would you rank your overall satisfaction as a volunteer youth mentor for Children's Friend and Family Services?

Response

Not Satisfied 0

Somewhat Satisfied 2

Satisfied 7

Highly Satisfied 16

CHARTS


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“I hope and believe that I am more sensitive to the struggles, fears,

and peer pressure that our young folks deal with.”

MENTOR COMMENTS

“PLEASE SHARE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS”

“[My mentee] is a treasure and I am forever indebted to the program for bringing her into my world!”

“Still trying to get him to "open up" more with me.” “This has been a great learning experience for me mentoring a young girl from a completely different culture and life experience. “

“I’d like improved communication and support for the families- it’s difficult to be in touch with [my mentee’s parent], I don’t think [my mentee] sees emails or pictures I share with [the parent].” “[My mentee] continues to inspire me .” “The mentor training sessions have been very helpful to ensure both myself and my mentee get the most out of this program.”

“[My mentee] is a wonderful 7-year-old who is having a hard time with his identity." He has a hard time relating to other kids, although he would love to have that ability. It is going to take a lot of time and discussions with him to get him on the right track and feeling more comfortable with himself and others. He tries very hard in school and is very proud that he can count 1 -10 in Spanish.”

“Samantha Alves is very professional and we have good communication. It is a great program to be involved in. It is nice to be a part of a professional organization to train and support me. In this small way, I enjoy being a part of my mentee’s life and hopefully am making positive change.”

“I would love to know my mentees actual grades. Academics continue to be a concern for me. “

“Communication is really open, whenever I have any concerns or questions I can reach out at any time, I feel supported.”

“The experience has been fantastic. We have both grown so much. We have become very close and we both hope to continue to see each other for years to come.” “The program Director, Samantha Alves, deserves credit for her very dynamic and helpful leadership”

“[My Mentee] has opened up with me to discuss his social life- he’s grateful that this program has helped him make friends. He has experienced a lot of activities that he had not participated in prior to this program.” “Samantha is invaluable in giving tools and advice for planning fun activities and is generally very supportive.”

“HAS THE MENTORING RELATIONSHIP CHANGED YOUR ATTITUDES, VALUES, OR UNDERSTANDING OF YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY?”

“I’ve realized that without proper guidance from the beginning/growing up, having a relationship with a “big brother/mentor” is beneficial, especially in life decisions. The realities are that young people today have easier access to illegal substances, versus when I was growing up. I hope I can give my mentee the proper tools so that he can make smart decisions in life.”

“The experience has been

fantastic. We have both grown so

much. We have become very close

and we both hope to continue to

see each other for years to come.”

“The mentor training sessions have

been very helpful to ensure both

myself and my mentee get the

most out of this program.”

“I now have a greater understand of the stress of being low-income and the constant survival mode that so many [families] are in. I

think we all constantly are learning from each other.”

“Her maturity and wisdom

astound me and I feel honored to

be her mentor.”


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“Kids need so much support, especially with social media-so different from my childhood. Grateful I can make a difference.”

“Yes. It has increased my respect and empathy towards young girls. I raised boys, so this experience has raised my awareness to the obstacles and adversity that is unique to a female, especially with an “irregular’ home life. Her maturity and wisdom astound me and I feel honored to be her mentor” “It has been a learning experience both for me and my mentee. We are definitely progressing to a more open and trusting relationship.”

“Yes, I appreciate the power to benefit both parties of an inter-generational relationship.”

“Yes. Young people today have challenges that are very different from those that I faced. Being with [my mentee] helps me understand the modern day challenges and has allowed me to look at the youth of today through a more tolerant lens.”

“They are more used to being entertained than entertaining themselves, and they have far easier and broader access to inappropriate information.”

“Its certainly has helped me better understand the perspective of a teenager today.”

“I hope and believe that I am more sensitive to the struggles, fears, and peer pressure that our young folks deal with.”

“I am much more open-minded now.”

“I now have a greater understanding of the stress of being lower-income and the constant survival mode that so many [families] are in. I think we all constantly are learning from each other.”

“I have learned to be more patience and more appreciate of the little details of life. [The kids] see the world through a difference lens and you must work to understand this to relate to them.” “I find that I have more empathy and patience with young people through this program.”

“I hadn't realized how much kids need attention and validation from adults before meeting [my mentee].”.

SUMMARY STATEMENTS

With a 60% mentor response rate to the Spring 2015 satisfaction surveys, this report reflects the most participation in any survey in the program to date (it is a large increase from the 30% participation in Fall 2014). Increased participation is very likely linked to increased methods for completing survey, including use of the online survey tool, “Survey Monkey”, mail-in surveys, and surveys presented to mentors at group events- each offering of the survey was heavily labeled with messages not to duplicate responses, however there is a slight chance of mentors offering multiple responses within the reporting, due to the multiple opportunities to complete the survey and the anonymity of all responses. Mentors reported positive rates of program satisfaction, with 92% of respondents identifying as “Satisfied” or “Highly Satisfied” in their mentoring experience. 56% of respondents stated that they saw their mentee weekly, and 32% stated that they see their mentees 2-3 times a month. These reported rates of match meetings are highly positive indicators of successful matches that will likely lead to long-term relationships. Match consistency is hailed as one of the main predictors of long-term match success by the national mentoring best-practice resource, “MENTOR.” Mentors also reported high rates of perception that since their initial meeting, their mentees have increased their ability or likelihood to express their thoughts and feelings. Further, 80% of respondents reported increased community involvement by their mentees. Each of these surveyed factors serve as indicators that the positive youth development model in which mentors are trained allows for supportive framework for the mentees programmatic success and satisfaction. Areas of improvement for the program to facilitate greater outcomes include navigating the academic concerns of many of the mentors, and improving channels for school support for all of our matches.

Documents

Program Survey Report June 2015