Trans Mentor Project: A Qualitative Evaluation of an Online Mentoring Program for Transgender and Nonbinary Youth

Science education reformists in Thailand promote the use of socioscientific issues (SSIs)-based teaching to enrich scientific literacy for global citizenship. To achieve this goal, Thai pre-service science teachers (PSTs) must know how to effectively integrate SSIs into their science teaching practices. The purpose of this study was to enhance PSTs’ understanding and practices of SSIs-based teaching via the online mentoring (OM) program. Three PSTs were selected as case studies, and data were collected from online observations, semi-structured interviews, online discussions, and online document reviews. The analytical methods included within-case and cross-case analysis. This study found that the OM program was effective in enhancing PSTs’ understanding and practices of SSIs-based teaching. As a result, their teaching practices evolved from conveying content knowledge to promoting higher-order cognitive practices. In addition, the PSTs demonstrated a deeper appreciation for OM programs as a means to enhance teaching practices. This research demonstrates how the implementation of OM programs has the potential to be powerful tool for professional development of science educators, which is essential for transforming science educational practices.

Background Canadian healthcare is publicly funded, with the roles and responsibilities within the health care system divided between the federal, provincial and territorial governments. Provinces and territories have most of the responsibility for delivering health and other social services. There is a paucity of research exploring the specific health care experiences of transgender and non-binary youth in the province of Alberta. Aims This study investigates the healthcare experiences of transgender and non-binary (TNB) youth (ages 14–25) in Alberta. The research within this paper highlights results from a larger qualitative research project exploring the wider experiences of TNB youth in Alberta. This paper focuses explicitly on healthcare themes emerging from our research project. Given the health disparities between cisgender and transgender youth, our study aims to provide insights into the experiences of TNB youth navigating and accessing healthcare within the province. Methods Twenty-five participants were interviewed via semi-structured interviews. Results This study identified five themes in the participants’ experiences: medical provider’s lack of knowledge; the youth feeling as though they were “getting lucky”; the effects and impact of wait times; the complexities of navigating the healthcare system; and feeling dignified in making informed choices. Conclusion We recommend rescinding current discriminatory legislation and increasing dedicated funding and support for specialized gender-affirmative health clinics (including surgical capacity), social service agencies, and educational programs, as well as improved navigational supports.

Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy Linked to Better MH in Trans Youth

Previous research shows that LGBTQ+ youth are over-represented in out-of-home care and that especially transgender and non-binary youth face challenges during their placement. These challenges stem from, among other factors, the lack of knowledge and competence of professionals regarding the unique needs of transgender and non-binary youth. In Sweden, there are policies that aim to protect transgender and non-binary youth from discrimination and to promote their sexual and reproductive health and rights, and an increasing number of residential homes claim to have LGBTQ competence when competing for placements. However, it is unclear how this affects the everyday experiences of trans and non-binary youth at residential homes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the practices and challenges of clinical social workers at residential care homes when working with gender identity and sexual health issues among young transgender and non-binary youth. Eight semi-structured interviews focusing on professionals’ knowledge and experiences were conducted and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: i) Knowledge being a personal matter; ii) Heteronormativity and binarity creating consequences; iii) Handling discrimination and harassments; and iv) Creating a trustful alliance. The results show that knowledge is a personal matter, and social work professionals seek the knowledge they need instead of receiving it in education or training. The contextual heteronormativity and binarity creating consequences at the residential care home pose challenges for social workers and they have to find creative ways to support transgender and non-binary youth and address the harassments and discrimination that these youth face. Moreover, the social workers share their strategies regarding how they are creating a trustful alliance. Overall, they identify significant challenges to developing clinical social work that is affirming of transgender and non-binary youth.

SUMMARY Online mentoring–creating a supportive, caring, online friendship between an adult volunteer and a protéAgéA–is one of the most popular forms of online volunteering, and new programs are launched regularly, usually involving adult mentors and youth protéAgéAs. From December 1996 through February 2001, the Virtual Volunteering Project sought to create an index and summary of all known online mentoring programs, to research existing programs' effective practices and program results, to research how effective practices for traditional, face-to-face mentoring could be applied to online programs, and to share these practices and other information relating to online mentoring via the project's Web site. This article summarizes the findings and provides a listing and description of all known online mentoring programs.

Content warning: this Article discusses suicidality. For transgender and some nonbinary youth, living under a chosen name is a first step toward becoming their authentic selves. For these youth, a name change is powerful; it allows them to choose a name that matches their gender identity. They consider their birth name to be a distressing “dead” name—one that they cannot relate to and need to bury. Using one’s chosen name decreases suicidality among transgender youth who face many challenges, including family rejection and other severe mental health stressors. Transgender and nonbinary youth can only require others to use their chosen names after obtaining a legal name change. But only two states in the nation currently allow minors to change their name legally without their parents’ consent and active assistance. Parental consent requirements are problematic because youth whose parents do not support their gender identity must wait, exposed to harm and distress. Thus, we deny them this first step towards correcting their gender and the accompanying mental health relief—delaying youth who have otherwise transitioned years before adulthood. In the meantime, with identification cards that do not match their gender identity, transgender and nonbinary youth are at risk of discrimination and other harm. They may drop out of school and avoid seeking employment for fear of bias and rejection. Our laws must change to protect our transgender and nonbinary youth by allowing them to change their legal name independently. Their mental health and well-being depend on these crucial reforms.

The majority of LGBT research in schools has focused almost exclusively on sexuality diversity, leaving the experiences of transgender and gender diverse youth a much neglected area of scholarly inquiry. Using qualitative in‐depth interviews, we explore the schooling experiences of transgender and non-binary youth in South Africa. Our findings highlight that transgender and non-binary youth face hostile schooling climates where discrimination, misgendering and exclusion punctuate their experience of schooling. What also emerges is that they are expected to forego their felt gender embodiment and expression and assimilate to the dominant cisnormative schooling culture. Our research, a first of its kind on trans and non-binary school attending youth in South Africa, has implications for educators, curriculum and pedagogy and points to the need for more work to understand how gender diverse youth can be supported in schools. It also points to the need for further studies that are inclusive of gender diverse youth.

Research documenting the pregnancy experiences of transgender boys and nonbinary youth assigned female at birth (AFAB) in the US is lacking. To examine AFAB youth sexual health indicators by gender. Self-reported data were collected cross-sectionally from 2018 through 2020. Initial analyses were conducted in 2023 and analyses were finalized in September 2024. The study took place online, across the 50 US states and Washington, DC. Eligible participants were 14 to 16 years old, read English, and had internet access. Sexual health (ie, self-reported pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections [STIs] lifetime prevalence, condom use, and use of other forms of birth control at last penile-vaginal or penile-anal sex). Based on weighted data (sample sizes are unweighted), 2109 cisgender girls, 348 transgender boys, and 458 nonbinary AFAB youth were included in analyses. There were 44 transgender boys (14%; 95% CI, 9.4-20.1; P = .24), 67 AFAB nonbinary youth (14%; 95% CI, 10.8-18.8; P = .18), and 397 cisgender girls (18%; 95% CI, 16.0-19.7) who reported ever having penile-vaginal sex. Rates for penile-anal sex were also similar by gender (4% to 6%). Lifetime pregnancy rates were higher for transgender boys (5 [9%]; 95% CI, 2.7-27.1; P = .23) than cisgender (18 [4%]; 95% CI, 2.5-7.1) girls, although not statistically significantly so. Pregnancy rates were similar for AFAB nonbinary youth (5 [5%]; 95% CI, 1.9-13.3; P = .73) compared with cisgender girls. Lifetime STI rates were universally low for all AFAB youth (0.5% to 2.0%). Mean age at first penile-vaginal sex was lower for AFAB nonbinary youth (mean age, 13.6 years; SE, 0.4; P = .003) and transgender boys (mean age, 13.9 years; SE, 0.3; P = .06) compared with cisgender girls (mean age, 14.4 years; SE, 0.1). Condom use at last penile-anal or penile-vaginal sex for transgender boys (24 [16%]; 95% CI, 9.5-27.0; P < .001) and AFAB nonbinary youth (33 [24%]; 95% CI, 16.4-34.2; P < .001) was half that of cisgender girls (245 [49%]; 95% CI, 44.1-54.2). Use of birth control other than condoms at last sex was lower for AFAB nonbinary youth (18 [28%]; 95% CI, 16.2-44.5; P = .14), but similar for transgender boys (20 [42%]; 95% CI, 23.4-62.4; P = .69) compared with cisgender girls (167 [44%]; 95% CI, 38.6-50.0). In this cross-sectional study of sexual health among AFAB youth with a diversity of gender identities, transgender boys were more likely, and nonbinary youth, similarly likely, as cisgender girls to be pregnant during adolescence. Even though overall rates of penile-vaginal sex were similar for transgender boys and AFAB nonbinary youth compared with cisgender girls, half as many transgender boys and AFAB nonbinary youth who had this type of sex used a condom at last sex compared with cisgender girls. As with cisgender girls, transgender boys and AFAB nonbinary youth need to be engaged in affirming and inclusive sexual health education.

Cultivating supportive communities for young people – Mentor pathways into and following a youth mentoring program

Transgender or gender nonconforming (TGNC) adolescents face a wide range of physical and mental health concerns. However, there has been no school-based study to explore the prevalence and mental health status of these adolescents in mainland China. To assess the mental well-being of TGNC adolescents in China by comparing them with their cisgender peers. This was a cross-sectional survey study. Of the 12 354 adolescents who completed the questionnaire, 246 did not specify to which sex they identified and were therefore excluded from further analysis. Therefore, a total of 12 108 adolescents were included from 18 secondary schools in Suzhou city, China, from June 2019 to July 2019. Participants provided consent and answered questions on sex assigned at birth and gender identity. All participants completed questionnaires, including the Patient Health Questionnaire for the measurement of depressive symptoms, a generalized anxiety disorder screening, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and a self-harm and suicide risk checklist. The frequency of being bullied at school was also measured. Participants who reported their perceived gender as the opposite of their assigned sex at birth were classified as transgender, those who identified as neither male nor female were classified as nonbinary, and those who were not sure about their perceived gender were classified as questioning. All of these participants were categorized as TGNC adolescents. A total of 12 108 adolescents (mean [SD] age, 15.8 [1.0] years; 6518 [53.8%] assigned male at birth [AMAB]) participated in the study. Of the 6518 participants AMAB in the sample, 5855 (89.8%) were classified as cisgender boys, 208 (3.2%) as transgender girls (transgender youth who perceive their current gender identity to be female), 138 (2.1%) as nonbinary youth AMAB, and 317 (4.9%) as questioning youth AMAB. Of the 5590 participants assigned female at birth (AFAB), 4142 (74.1%) were classified as cisgender girls, 861 (15.4%) as transgender boys (transgender youth who perceive their current gender identity to be male), 112 (2.0%) as nonbinary youth AFAB, and 475 (8.5%) as questioning youth AFAB. Compared with cisgender adolescents, TGNC adolescents reported significantly higher health concerns including lower overall health (t11 872 = -7.36; P < .001), poorer sleep (t11 683 = 10.49; P < .001), higher depression and anxiety symptoms (t11 830 = 12.43 and t11 847 = 11.47, respectively; P < .001), and higher rate of self-harm and suicide ideation (t11 860 = 12.22; P < .001). The TGNC youth who were AMAB were also more likely to be bullied at school than cisgender boys (transgender girls: odds ratio [OR], 2.34 [95% CI, 1.64-3.33]; nonbinary youth AMAB: OR, 1.97 [95% CI, 1.23-3.16]; and questioning youth AMAB: OR, 1.95 [95% CI, 1.43-2.67]). The TGNC groups also reported significantly greater amounts of thoughts of self-harm (transgender girls: OR, 3.06 [95% CI, 2.24-4.19]; transgender boys: OR, 4.06 [95% CI, 3.47-4.74]; nonbinary youth AMAB: OR, 2.86 [95% CI, 1.93-4.23]; nonbinary youth AFAB: OR, 3.71 [95% CI, 2.46-5.59]; questioning youth AMAB: OR, 2.61 [95% CI, 1.98-3.44]; and questioning youth AFAB: OR, 3.35 [95% CI, 2.70-4.16]), thoughts of suicide (transgender girls: OR, 3.93 [95% CI, 2.88-5.38]; transgender boys: OR, 3.71 [95% CI, 3.10-4.21]; nonbinary youth AMAB: OR, 3.13 [95% CI, 2.11-4.63]; nonbinary youth AFAB: OR, 3.78 [95% CI, 2.50-5.71]; questioning youth AMAB: OR, 2.53 [95% CI, 1.93-3.33]; and questioning youth AFAB: OR, 3.94 [95% CI, 3.17-4.88]), suicide plan formation (transgender girls: OR, 4.44 [95% CI, 2.88-6.83]; transgender boys: OR, 2.66 [95% CI, 2.03-3.50]; nonbinary youth AMAB: OR, 5.36 [95% CI, 3.22-8.93]; nonbinary youth AFAB: OR, 4.06 [95% CI, 2.25-7.30]; and questioning youth AFAB: OR, 2.36 [95% CI, 1.63-3.43]), deliberate self-harm during the last month (cisgender girls: OR, 1.49 [95% CI, 1.33-1.68]; transgender girls: OR, 2.74 [95% CI, 1.93-3.91]; transgender boys: OR, 3.06 [95% CI, 2.57-3.66]; nonbinary youth AMAB: OR, 2.56 [95% CI, 1.66-3.94]; nonbinary youth AFAB: OR, 3.06 [95% CI, 1.95-4.81]; questioning youth AMAB: OR, 2.14 [95% CI, 1.56-2.92]; and questioning youth AFAB: OR, 2.53 [95% CI, 2.00-3.01]), and attempts of suicide (transgender girls: OR, 4.35 [95% CI, 2.88-6.56]; transgender boys: OR, 2.92 [95% CI, 2.26-3.76]; nonbinary youth AMAB: OR, 3.94 [95% CI, 2.36-6.55]; nonbinary youth AFAB: OR, 3.06 [95% CI, 1.67-5.63]; questioning youth AMAB: OR, 2.61 [95% CI, 1.73-3.94]; and questioning youth AFAB: OR, 1.93 [95% CI, 1.33-2.81]) compared with cisgender boys. Results of this cross-sectional survey study suggest poor mental health status among TGNC adolescents in China; in addition, findings suggest a compelling need for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to address these mental health problems. Particular school-based interventions are recommended to support the mental health well-being of TGNC adolescents.

An important first step in talent development in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is getting individuals excited about STEM. Females, in particular, are underrepresented in many STEM fields. Since girls' interest in STEM declines in adolescence, interventions should begin in secondary education at the latest. One appropriate intervention is (online) mentoring. Although its short-term effectiveness has been demonstrated for proximal outcomes during secondary education (e.g., positive changes in elective intentions in STEM), studies of the long-term effectiveness of STEM mentoring provided during secondary education-especially for real-life choices of university STEM majors and professions-are lacking. In our study, we examine females' real-life decisions about university majors and entering professions made years after they had participated in an online mentoring program (CyberMentor) during secondary education. The program's proximal positive influence on girls' elective intentions in STEM and certainty about career plans during secondary education had previously been demonstrated in several studies with pre-post-test waitlist control group designs. Specifically, we compared the choices that former mentees (n = 410) made about university majors and entering professions several years after program participation with (1) females of their age cohort and (2) females of a group of girls comparably interested in STEM who had signed up for the program but then not participated (n = 71). Further, we examined the explanatory contribution to these later career-path-relevant, real-life choices based on (1) mentees' baseline conditions prior to entering the program (e.g., elective intentions in STEM), (2) successful 1-year program participation, and (3) multiyear program participation. Findings indicate positive long-term effects of the program in all areas investigated.

This article is a literature review of mentoring and higher education academic literature from 2008-2018. The review analyzed what makes an effective mentor and what are the implications of practice for those strategies. This article is for higher education leaders, mentoring programs, and mentors who want to improve their traditional and online mentoring programs and mentoring practices. After narrowing the search terms, the researcher searched EBSCO and ERIC databases and this search produced a combined total of 256 results. These articles were further narrowed to 34 articles that met the keyword search and exclusion criteria. The remaining articles are the focus of the literature review analysis for mentoring and higher education literature. The review produced three major themes of impact of mentoring, role of mentor, and mentoring programs, as well as implications for practice for each theme. The researcher further examined the themes in detail and provided information about retention, persistence, long-term benefits of mentoring, student interaction, student support, role models, types of mentoring programs, platforms for mentoring, and mentor training. The review concludes with suggestions for further research, including recommendations for mentor training and online mentoring.

Objective As the number of transgender and non-binary (TGN) youth and young adults referred for gender-affirming medical treatment increases, there is a need to better understand how these individuals experience the interventions. The aim of the present study is to expand our understanding of how TGN youth and young adults perceive bodily changes following medical treatment as part of gender-affirming care. Method Ten life-mode interviews exploring individuals’ everyday experiences and the meanings they attach to them were conducted with TGN youth and young adults in Norway, assigned female at birth, aged 17–22, three years after they initiated gender-affirming medical treatment to align their bodies with their gender identities. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Based on the analysis of the semi-structured interviews, we developed three major themes and six sub-themes: (1) A pragmatic approach to making decisions regarding medical treatment indicates that the participants are continuously weighing the risks and benefits, together with a gradual, step-by-step introduction of medical treatment. (2) Embodying medical treatment indicates that bodily changes are tangible but, over time, anchor a sense of masculinity and a sense of self as male. (3) Grounding medical treatment in everyday life indicates that bodily changes help connect the inside with the outside, with family and friends serving as sources of support and mediators of meaning, highlighting the psychosocial aspects of gender-affirming care. Conclusion The psychosocial aspects related to medical treatment in gender-affirming care are important vantage points for exploring the social meaning of the body and bodily changes. We therefore suggest that psychosocial aspects of gender-affirming care should be attended to and integrated alongside medical treatment.

This study explored the yearlong learning processes of two first-year secondary science teachers participating in an online mentoring program, through examination of their written dialogues within the program and other data. Using a case study method, this study (a) explored the patterns of written dialogues between the two new teachers and their mentors over the course of a year, (b) documented pertinent topics of importance, and finally (c) illustrated the new realities created in the mentees’ classrooms as a result of the online mentoring process. Penelope and Bradley, who taught at an urban school and at a suburban school respectively, were selected as subjects. Our analysis revealed that the two pairs of mentee–mentors showed different participation patterns that affected the intensity of the creation of new realities, and affected whether the mentees tried/vetted new teaching practices suggested by their mentors. Yet, analysis also revealed that certain elements in the written dialogues between pairs were found to be similar, in that construction of knowledge was evident between both pairs when friction developed and appropriate teamwork emerged to deal with it. The topics of greatest interest and importance within the dialogues were those related to the logistics of the school system and the processes and methodologies of teaching. These results suggest that online mentoring programs are an effective dialogical tool for transferring the knowledge of experts to novices, and for thus expediting the professional induction and growth of new science teachers.

Understanding the Mental Health of Transgender and Nonbinary Youth