NCJ Number
166289
Journal
Youth Today Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Dated: (March/April 1997) Pages: 1,12-13
Date Published
1997
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the work of the Mentoring Center in Oakland, Calif., which provides technical assistance and training to organizations that wish to establish a mentoring program.
Abstract
Since the Center opened 7 years ago, some 110 organizations in the nine-county Bay area have called upon it to help design or fine-tune mentoring programs that serve nearly 9,000 youths. The Center also advises mentoring programs throughout the Nation. The Center's philosophy has developed largely from the experience of Director Martin Jacks, who himself benefited from the mentoring efforts of four teachers and a counselor. Jacks' Peace Corps experience taught him the relevance of cultural sensitivity in the development of any program designed to reach a particular group. Jacks emphasizes the need to reach out for mentors from a wide range of backgrounds and find new ways to use their creative energies. Jacks has developed a grid to help groups think about their goals and the kind of program they want to develop. The grid characterizes mentoring programs as "soft," "medium," "hard," or "hard-core" and identifies the types of youth who are the best candidates for each approach. The grid also describes different types of mentors. The Center believes mentoring programs should be more concerned about recruiting quality mentors than about amassing large numbers of them. The screening and training of mentors are emphasized.