Mentoring programs for adolescents: a research summary.

This summary reviews the research conducted on youth mentoring programs from the mid-1980s through the late 1990s. A number of studies have documented the varied benefits youth derive through participation in programmatic mentoring ranging from improved relationships to a reduction in the initiation of drug and alcohol use. Not all mentors or mentoring programs, however, are equally effective. Strategies that mentors use to foster the development of positive relationships and effective program practices, related to screening, training, and ongoing support are also discussed. Finally, some questions that remain to be addressed by the mentoring field are presented.