Autumn 2011.pub - Australian Youth Mentoring Network

Th is pa rt icula r r es e arch s h o ws t hat t h e
gathering of b ackgrou nd i nf o rm ation is
critical t o t he im p lementat ion of m e ntoring
p r og ra m s i n a n o n- Western s et t i ng. Th e
Ind ia n cas e s t u d y in d icat es t h at o n e- on- o n e
r el ationships w ill n ot t ra nslat e s uccessfull y
in a c o ll ect i vist s etting.
Th e a rt ic le b y K archer a nd Sa s s ( 2010)
further re i nf o rc es t hat even w ithin t he s am e
nat iona l s ettin g d if f e re nc es e x ist in h o w
v a r i o u s e t h n i c a n d c u l t u r a l g r o u p s
e xperienc e m e nt o ri ng. Th e aut h ors meas u re d
ad ol escents’ c on n ec t ed n ess w ith family,
c om m u n it y and s c h o o l b y u s i ng t h e
H e m i n g w a y : M e a s u r e o f A d o l e s c e n t
Connectedness t o d et e rmine t h e d if f erenc e
ac ross gen d er and et h nic grou ps.
S om e of t he m a j or f i ndings f r om t his s t ud y
inc lu d e t hat C aucas i an yo uth were m o re
connect ed t o t h e ir t ea chers t han Af r ic an
A m e r i c a n s . C o n s e q u e n t l y , t h e a u t h o r s
s u g g e s t f r o m a r e s e a r c h m e t h o d s
s t andpoint , it is f ru i t ful t o d issect glob a l
c a t e g o r i e s s u c h a s “ s c h o o l ” i n t o
s ubcategories s uc h a s t eac hers , c l assmates
and other s uch g r ou pi ngs . O n t h e g e nd e r
front, Ka r cher a nd Sas s f ou nd t h at g i rl s
w ere m o re c on n ect ed t o t h e i r f r i en d s ,
s iblings, s c hool, p e ers, t e achers , and
r ead i ng b ut l o wer c on n ect ed ness t o t h ei r
neig hb ou rh o ods than b o ys.
Th e K a rcher a nd S ass s t ud y r e v ea l t h e
i m p o r t a n c e o f d e s i g n i n g s t u d i e s t h a t
inc o r p o rat e m o r e s p ec ific c at eg o ri es t o
und e rstand h o w m e nt o ri ng affects n ot on l y
gend e r b ut d if ferent ethnic groups.
Garra wa y a nd P istra ng (2 010) in t heir artic l e
on Af r ican C a rib b e an m a l e ad ol escents i n
t he U K d em o nstrat e s t a rk c o nt rast i n h o w
t hey e x p erien ce g en e ra l s ocial cond itions
and s ub s e q u ent l y m e n t al h ea lth p r ob l ems in
com p a ris on t o t h ei r C auc asian c o unt e r pa rts .
T h i s i s n o t s u r p r i s i n g g i v e n A f r i c a n
C a r i b b e a n a d o l e s c e n t b o y s e x p e r i e n c e
g r e a t e r s c h o o l e x c l u s i o n , l o w e r
s o c i o e c o n o m i c s t a t u s a n d r a c i a l
d i s c r i m i n a t i o n ( G a r r a w a y a n d P i s t r a n g
2010). I n a ddition , t h e a uthors s u ggest t h a t
t his group is m ost dif fic u lt t o e ng ag e i n
t e rms of m ent al hea lt h s ervic es.
Th e i r s t ud y s h ow e d t hat m e ntorin g m a y b e
on e m ethod t o h e l p A fric an C a rib b e an m ale
ad ol escents o v ercome t his o b s t ac l e. T h e
r es ea rc h i nd icat e d t hat m e ntors pl a ye d a
p osit i v e r ol e i n t he l i v es o f A f ric a n
Ca r ibbea n b o ys b y givi ng t hem a lternat i v e
images of t he negat ive p o rtraya ls of t h i s
ethnic g ro u p i n s ociet y . F act o rs t hat
fac ilitat ed t he r el at ionship i nclud ed t h e
m e ntors ’ wi ll in gness t o t a lk ab out t h ei r o w n
e xperienc es as t h e m e ntors s hared s im ilar
b ackground as the boys. Mentors a lso p la y e d
a m ediat in g r o l e b etween b o ys and t eac h e r s
and , t h e b o ys v alued t h e a d vo cac y r o le
p la y ed b y t heir m e n t o r. T he a uthors also
not e s ig n if icant changes w e r e d et ect e d i n
t e rms o f t h e b o ys s e eking h e l p and t his
ind ic at e a first s t e p t ow a rds s e ek in g m en t a l
healt h s e r vi ces .
Wit hin a b r oad e r p e rs pe c t i v e, B r ad y and
Dola n (2 009) s u ggest t h at w e n e ed t o
com p r eh e nd t h e f a c t o rs t h at m otivat e
m e ntors t o b ec om e m e nt o rs in o rd e r t o
a s s e s s h o w m e n t o r i n g c o n t r i b u t e s t o
communit y d evelopm e nt.
Th e a uthors c on duc t e d r es ea rc h w ith t h e Bi g
B rot h e r and Bi g S ister ( B B BS) p ro g ram i n
Irela nd and f o und t hat t h e p ro g ram g ave
m e ntors a great e r u nd e rstand in g o f y out h
p r oblems and em p athy a nd t his has
p r o m p t e d s e l f - r e f l e c t i o n . T h e p r o g r a m
of fered t h e m e ntors a wa y t o m ak i ng a
dif ferenc e a t a n i ndivid ua l level. T h e
s uccess o f t he p ro g ra m el s e w here i n t h e
world als o attrac t e d m ent o rs t o t h e p r og r am.
Th e I r ish cas e s t ud y of t h e BB B S p r og r a m
directs o u r a t t e nt ion t o t he nat iona l cont e xt
of m ent o ri ng a nd its im p act o n c ommunit y
devel o pm e nt.
We n e ed t o b e s e ns itive t o different c ult u ra l
p e rs pe c t i v es and a s s ess h ow m ent o r in g
fram e works c an b e ad a pt ed t o s p ec if ic
p o pu lat i on g r ou ps . While Ma rshall a nd
Sh a v er (2 010) w r it e ab o ut t h e in digenous
p o pu lat i ons i n N e w Z ea la nd and Ca nad a ,
t heir r es ea rc h can b e e xt r apolat ed m o r e
b r oa dly. M a rhs all and S haver (2010: 146)
s uggests t h at p r og ra m s n e ed t o b e m o r e
attuned w ith t h e needs of t h e i nd ig en o u s
p o pu lat i on: “I nd e ed, in m a n y i nd ig en o u s
cult u r es world wi d e, a s t r on g c ol l ect i v e
cult u r e and a p o w erful h istory of i nf o rm a l
m e ntorin g m a y alt e r ro l es a nd t ra in i n g
r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r s t r u c t u r e d , f o r m a l
m e ntorin g rel ationships.”
Th e s p ot lig ht artic l es for t his issue i nd icat e
t hat p r og r ams n e ed t o ad o pt m o r e t h oroug h
p r el im in a r y b ackgrou nd r es ea rc h int o t h e
local and c u ltural c ond it ions s o t h at
m e ntorin g p r og ra m s m a y b es t m e et t he
need s of y ou ng pe o p le in different s ettings.
5