Does Mentoring Matter? Studying The Role and Impact of Long-Term "One on One" Mentoring by Volunteers on Youth Village Graduates Without a Supportive Family in Israel

"Research findings indicate that each child who reaches emerging adulthood without a supportive family is likely to experience great difficulty experience during this phase.”[1] The Spirit of Israel`s "One on One" program concept meets the fundamental need for support and accompaniment by an adult for youth village graduates who are youth at risk during the period of "Emerging Adulthood”. The mentor, an adult volunteer with proven and rich life experience and without a previous connection to the participant, can fill the void and provide the youth with a space in which he can build up his personal strength.

The purpose of the study was to address the questions: Is mentoring effective with youth at risk? What kinds of programmatic supports are needed to enable mentoring to succeed with youth at risk?

The study was based on an examination of the three target audiences of the program: Mentors, youth mentees and Youth Village staff members. it was carried out by an internet questionnaire, phone interviews and discussions with the program’s director, coordinator and steering committee.

The study’s main findings are: both mentors and youth are highly satisfied with the relationship, participant youth achievements in the years following their graduation are over and above their initial expectations and that mentors are in need of on-going professional support. These findings have several noteworthy implications and provide useful guidance for mentoring programs for youth at risk.

[1] Prof. Moshe Yisraelshvili, School of Education, Tel Aviv University. The Importance of a Supportive Family for Youths in "Emerging Adulthood".