Stand by Me: The Risks and Rewards of Mentoring Today's Youth: Editorial Reviews

From Criminal Justice Review Vol. 28, No. 2 Autumn 2003

Welcome to Mentoring 101. Stand by Me: The Risks and Rewards of Mentoring Today’s Youth, by Jean E. Rhodes, can be characterized as a basic introduction to mentoring between adult mentors and youth mentees or protégés. Mentoring is one act of volunteerism that is not given the respect or awareness that it fully deserves. By becoming a mentor, one can empower a beleaguered young person to feel a part of his or her community and to contribute to its development. A major issue for a prospective mentor, however, is the decision to become involved in a young person’s life. What challenges will be faced? What commonalities can the mentor find with the young person? Author Rhodes addresses these and other related concerns in this book. Stand by Me offers the reader a glimpse into the human service of mentoring with emphasis on the risks and rewards of taking on this challenge

In five interrelated chapters Rhodes presents mentoring in a story-like manner. She begins each chapter with a relevant quote from a particular individual or popular book. Chapter 1 includes the history of mentoring and presents a study of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, the largest national mentoring program, as evaluated by the nonprofit organization Public/Private Ventures. This study evaluation provides the basis for much of Rhodes’ position.

Chapter 2 conveys the positive effects of mentoring and examines ways to obtain successful pairings of mentors and protégés. Some of the positive effects of mentoring that Rhodes includes are social and emotional development, cognitive development, advocacy, role modeling, and prevention of delinquency. Through the enhancement of social skills and emotional well-being, mentoring offers an outlet for dialogue and encourages self-expression.

As in any human relationships, however, complications can arise. Chapter 3 discusses some negative outcomes of mentoring frequently associated with poor planning, improper pairings, and the short duration of mentoring time. For example, Rhodes describes a failed mentoring relationship between a 13-year-old boy and his mentor as a result of an uncommitted mentor and an unresponsive program. She ends this chapter with recommendations to conquer such adverse effects.

Chapter 4 informs the reader of the necessary components of successful mentoring, from the recruiting process through termination of the relationship, and revisits previously covered topics of training and pairing. She then transitions to a comparison of mentoring with psychotherapy.

Finally, chapter 5 serves as a summation of the material covered. The book concludes with suggested areas of future research and policy adjustments and implications.

The purpose of this book is to show that mentoring can work if it is supported by youth, adults, the public, policy makers, and practitioners. Given the strength and popularity of this topic, this book would be appreciated not only by youth and parents but by all those who work with youth or are interested in issues of our nation’s future adults.

Throughout the book, Rhodes reiterates two main points. First, research and theory must be the basis for the formation and implementation of mentoring programs and public policy affecting our nation’s young people. Second, more harm than good could result if mentoring programs and public policy continue to dismiss research findings that may enhance the success of such programs.

Early in the book, Rhodes argues that successful mentoring is not something that can be fully achieved through haphazard attempts. She takes a strong position in denouncing any careless steps that could possibly hinder the development of a positive mentoring relationship. A key point is made that, if programs do not recruit and train mentors according to both theory and research, such programs are more likely to have lackluster results. Overall, this book achieves its purpose of educating readers on how to develop successful programs based on theory and research and on the importance of mentoring today’s youth.

Some of the limitations of this book involve its referencing mainly one study (Big Brothers/Big Sisters) without thoroughly examining other mentoring programs and evaluations. Another point of contention is the omission of an issue that is often at the forefront of America’s consciousness: sexual abuse and misconduct. Many parents are reluctant to allow their children to be mentored for fear of some type of sexual abuse. Prospective mentors are often hesitant to volunteer because many behaviors, e.g., hugging, could be viewed as sexual misconduct. A full discussion of this issue is needed – if not absolutely required.

One final criticism the book is the author’s overgeneralization of various populations. For example, Rhodes states that “to some extent, middle-class parents have purchased adult contact and protection for their children through investment in after-school programs, sitters, athletic clubs, music lessons, summer camps and even psychotherapy” (p. 13). Even though she prefaces this statement with “to some extent,” it reads as though most middle-class parents have money and resources for these types of “protections.” Nothing could be further from the truth, and I for one speak from personal experience. I am a single mother of a five-year-old and in the “middle-class,” and my son is not in any after-school programs; I cannot afford to hire sitters; my closest relatives live 1,000 miles away; his father is not involved in any way, shape, or form; we are not members of any athletic club; he does not go to summer camp; and I really do not know what “psychotherapy” involves as applied to adult contact and protection. My son does take weekly group piano lessons. The point that I am making here is that all our nation’s young people are at risk. They are all at risk for something. I is only through a combination of various protective factors (some of which are mentioned above) that youth can be steered in a more positive direction toward healthy development and adulthood. Moreover, I would like to see a more serious discussion of the utility of mentoring for all youth and children regardless of socioeconomic status or social class.

Notwithstanding these shortcomings, overall this book is very informative, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in touching the lives of our nation’s youth and children. Rhodes demonstrates an enthusiasm toward mentoring that is infectious and her case studies “give a face,” so to speak, to the individuals affected by mentoring. Stand by Me is a resource that is easy to read and to understand. Although Rhodes indicates that her book is directed to parents, policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and prospective mentors, it provides an invaluable resource for anyone seeking insight into the realm of mentoring.

Rebecca D. Petersen
University of Texas - San Antonio

From Social Thought, 2003

The current popularity of mentoring by volunteers belies its complexity. Based on her own and others’ research, in particular a national evaluation of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Rhodes, a professor of psychology, presents what we currently know and where our knowledge is still inadequate. She concludes that mentoring relationships with vulnerable youth can both transform a life or do tremendous damage to a child’s sense of self and a faith in others. Rhodes stresses the necessity of long-term commitments, careful screening, adequate training, and ongoing support for participants for successful programs. The author’s goal is “to provide parents, policy makers, practitioners, and researchers with a deeper understanding of this very special human relationship and to assist them in making informed decisions about mentoring programs” (p. 3). This engaging, erudite, and enormously important book should be read by those now considering or currently involved in mentoring programs and for students in social work and related fields.

Eleanor Hannon Judah, DSW
Book Review Editor

From Chronicle of Higher Education

Evaluates the effectiveness of such youth mentoring programs as Big Brothers Big Sisters of America; finds, among other things, that children are better left alone than parired with mentors who are unprepared and who fail to fulfill their end of the relationship.

From Booklist

Rhodes, a psychology professor, examines the popularity of mentoring programs and their effectiveness in improving the prospects of disadvantaged youth. She particularly focuses on research involving the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America, the best-known youth-mentoring organization, showing that at-risk youth who are mentored through structured programs are more likely to succeed. Rhodes examines the psychological process of mentoring, the bonds that develop between mentors and youth, what each group brings to the process and what they get out of it, and the important role that adults who are not their parents can play in the development of children. She also examines how programs are structured and the importance of training mentors and monitoring the relationship, particularly how relationships are terminated. Rhodes' aim is to provide parents, policy makers, and social-service providers with information on what is working and why. Although Rhodes' style is somewhat academic, her profiles of actual mentoring relationships make the book accessible to a broader range of readers. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Library Journal

With over two million young people now involved in an adult volunteer program and further growth expected, mentoring is an important topic. Here, Rhodes (psychology, Univ. of Massachusetts, Boston) well summarizes the results of her decade-long analysis, as well as other studies (e.g., the Public/Private Venture's survey of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America) of what exactly makes youth mentoring programs effective. Mentors, she found, can greatly support at-risk adolescents in three important ways: enhancing their social skills, improving the cognitive skills through dialog and listening, and serving as a role model and advocate. However, those not up to the difficult task of forming an emotional bond can actually harm more than help. Demonstrating strong research and writing skills, Rhodes also defines mentoring, discusses some of the social and political factors that have heightened interest in mentoring, reviews the risks of these relationships, highlights some of the lessons from behavioral therapy that might be profitably applied to mentoring, and makes recommendations for further research. Highly recommended for all academic libraries supporting the social sciences. Dale Farris, Groves, TX
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Other Reviews

Working for Boston & the Commonwealth
The MentorGirl Voice
National Mentoring Center
Voice of Youth Advocates
Journal of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry