The Impact of Caring Adults in Communities

A caring adult in the community who takes the time to make a real connection can play a very significant role in a young person’s life.

• A review of 10 evaluated mentoring programs concluded that one-on-one mentoring programs can enhance positive youth development: mentored youth have shown evidence of significant reductions in school absence; higher college participation; better school attitudes and behavior; less drug and alcohol use especially among minority youth; less likelihood of hitting others; less likelihood of committing crimes; more positive attitudes toward their elders and toward helping; and improved parental relationships and support from peers.
• Research shows that youth who feel more supported and connected to caring adults at a community program are more likely to attend and to get more from the program.
• Continuity of mentor relationships is important. For example, a study found that youth who were matched to one mentor for more than 12 months compared to less than 12 months, reported significant increases in their self-worth, perceived social acceptance, perceived scholastic competence, value of school, parental relationship quality, and significant decreases in drug and alcohol use.
• In a study of approximately 800 mostly African-American teens in the Midwest, 52% of youth reported having a natural mentor, most often (36%) an extended family member such as an aunt, uncle, grandparent or cousin. Teens who had a natural mentor were less likely to use marijuana, participate in non-violent delinquency, and to have higher levels of school attachment, school efficacy, and a belief that it is important to do well in school.
• Close connections with caring adults can foster improvements in adolescents’ relationships with others. For example, volunteer mentoring relationships can lead to improvements in teens’ perceptions of their relationships with their parents in terms of intimacy, communication, and trust.

Key Statistics on Youth in their Communities

• At least one-quarter of 8th and10th grade students and almost one-third of 12th grade students volunteer in community service at least once a month.
• In 2001, 38% of children in kindergarten through 8th grade participated in one or more organized activities after school.
• In 2004, approximately one-third of 8th, 10th and 12th grade students reported that religion plays a very important role in their lives. About 34% of students planning to complete four years of college reported that religion played an important role in their lives compared to 23% of students with lower academic aspirations. Between 1990 and 2002, there was a modest increase in the percentage of students who report that religion has a very important role in their lives, so that in 2002, about one-third of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders reported this connection, compared to 28 to 29% (depending on grade level) in 1990.