The overarching purpose of this monograph is to move the mentoring conversation forward by offering an updated synthesis of the undergraduate mentoring scholarship published between 2008 and 2015. The compendium of research reviewed provides practitioners and researchers with an evidence-based view of the influence of mentoring on the academic and…

In this commentary, we discuss the implications of recent research led by Bart Hirsch, Reed Larson and Charles Smith. Each study helps deepen our understanding of youth work practice and can inform policy strategies aimed at developing a strong, stable, committed and prepared OST workforce. (Contains 4 footnotes and a list of Resources.)

Social well-being is essential to overall health and quality of life for all children, youth, and adults. However, children and youth with disabilities are often at higher risk for experiencing lower levels of social, and related emotional, well-being than their peers without disabilities. They are among those more likely to be bullied and…

Parents are the central source of emotional, financial and social support for their children. Many young people also have the benefit of relationships with adults other than parents--including teachers, coaches, grandparents, older siblings, neighbors and employers--who serve as informal mentors. These relationships provide youth with extra…

As the issue of older youth and out-of-school time is gaining new attention across the country in the context of the after-school movement, it is important to remember that there are many programs for teens that operate in the out-of-school hours. This issue of Forum Focus documents a range of promising developments for capitalizing on the…