Bridging the Divide: A Pioneering Culturally-Specific Mentoring Intervention to Increase Support for At-Risk Youth

Bridging the Divide: A Pioneering Culturally-Specific Mentoring Intervention to Increase Support for At-Risk Youth

The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a culturally-specific mentoring intervention to improve socio-emotional skills, psychological well-being, and social support among at-risk youth and to evaluate the proposed mentoring intervention's impact on academic outcomes, social behavior, and caregiver perceptions of social-emotional competencies. Additionally, it seeks to gather stakeholder feedback to refine the intervention further.

Inclusion Criteria:

• actively enrolled in the partnering community organization (e.g., Boys and Girls Clubs)
• Participants and their caregivers must be able to provide informed assent/consent in English. Parental Consent: Participants must have parental or guardian consent to participate in the study.
• Self-identifies as a racial-ethnic minority (i.e., Black/African American, Hispanic, etc.)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current participation in another mentoring program: To avoid confounding the results, youth currently involved in other mentoring or structured socio-emotional support programs will be excluded.
• Severe cognitive or developmental disabilities: The study will exclude participants with mental impairments that prevent meaningful engagement in focus groups or intervention activities.