37.8 Wellness-Focused Mentoring Program for Youth and College Students

Abstract

Mentoring is a valuable tool for supporting vulnerable youth through individual relationships that engage, teach life skills, and build social skills and healthy behaviors in youth. By having a role model and building empathy, children and young adults are less likely to turn to substance abuse or risky behaviors. We hypothesized that positive mentoring relationships would improve behavior and social skills and have overall positive developmental outcomes for youth.