Volunteer Mentors Research Articles

Building public health capacity through online global learning

Rising disease burden and health inequalities remain global concerns, highlighting the need for health systems strengthening with a sufficient and appropriately trained workforce. The current models for developing such a workforce are inadequate and newer approaches are needed. In this paper we describe a model for public health capacity building through online Global Learning, defined as “innovative, integrated, global opportunities for capacity building through online learning and shared experiences between and within Low- to Middle-Income Countries and High-Income Countries, in a continuous process that helps health care workers learn as they progress through their careers”. We demonstrate how two programmes, Peoples-uni and NextGenU.org, have implemented this model using a mix of low-cost and free online learning courses, a global community of volunteer tutors, mentors and peers, and appropriate high quality competence-based content.

The role of Intergenerational Relationships in Challenging Educational Inequality: Improving Participation of Working-Class Pupils in Higher Education

ABSTRACTAnalysis of data on school leavers in the UK points to considerable inequality in access to higher education. This is particularly acute in Scotland where access to the most competitive courses remains extremely difficult for those young people who are first in their generation to try and enter university or from low-income households. Programs to address this issue have had varied approaches framed around policy ambitions to “close the attainment gap” or “raise aspirations.” However, research has argued that these approaches have largely conceptualized the problem at an individual rather than structural level (Cummings et al., 2012; Gorard, Beng, & Davies, 2012). The Intergenerational Mentoring Network is an ongoing research and development project which recruits retired professionals as volunteer mentors and matches them with 15–18 year old secondary school pupils from lower-income areas of the city. This paper draws from research within this project to demonstrate the difficulties these young people face surrounding their interaction with very different social and cultural worlds, of which they have limited understanding and very restricted access. The paper illuminates the crucial role that intergenerational relationships can play in supporting young people in their journey into higher education. These are roles that, collectively, are enabling more young people to move into university and professional careers and through increasing social mobility are challenging inequality.

Can less be more? Mentoring functions, learning goal orientation, and novice entrepreneurs’ self-efficacy

PurposeOne of the main goals of entrepreneurial mentoring programs is to strengthen the mentees’ self-efficacy. However, the conditions in which entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) is developed through mentoring are not yet fully explored. The purpose of this paper is to test the combined effects of mentee’s learning goal orientation (LGO) and perceived similarity with the mentor and demonstrates the role of these two variables in mentoring relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe current study is based on a sample of 360 novice Canadian entrepreneurs who completed an online questionnaire. The authors used a cross-sectional analysis as research design.FindingsFindings indicate that the development of ESE is optimal when mentees present low levels of LGO and perceive high similarities between their mentor and themselves. Mentees with high LGO decreased their level of ESE with more in-depth mentoring received.Research limitations/implicationsThis study investigated a formal mentoring program with volunteer (unpaid) mentors. Generalization to informal mentoring relationships needs to be tested.Practical implicationsThe study shows that, in order to effectively develop self-efficacy in a mentoring situation, LGO should be taken into account. Mentors can be trained to modify mentees’ LGO to increase their impact on this mindset and mentees’ ESE.Originality/valueThis is the first empirical study that demonstrates the effects of mentoring on ESE and reveals a triple moderating effect of LGO and perceived similarity in mentoring relationships.

A randomized controlled trial of physical activity with individual goal-setting and volunteer mentors to overcome sedentary lifestyle in older adults at risk of cognitive decline: the INDIGO trial protocol

BackgroundIncreasing physical activity (PA) effectively in those who are inactive is challenging. For those who have subjective memory complaints (SMC) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) this is a greater challenge necessitating the need for more engaging and innovative approaches. The primary aim of this trial is to determine whether a home-based 6-month PA intervention with individual goal-setting and peer mentors (GM-PA) can significantly increase PA levels in insufficiently active older adults at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD).MethodsCommunity living 60–80 year olds with SMC or MCI who do not engage in more than 60 min per week of moderate intensity PA will be recruited from memory clinics and the community via media advertisements to participate in this randomized, single-blind controlled trial. All participants will receive an individually tailored home-based PA program of 150 min of moderate intensity walking/week for 6 months. The intervention group will undertake individual goal-setting and behavioral education workshops with mentor support via telephone (GM-PA). Those randomized to the control group will have standard education workshops and Physical Activity Liaison (PAL) contact via telephone (CO-PA).Increase in PA is the primary outcome, fitness, cognitive, personality, demographic and clinical parameters will be measured and a health economic analysis performed. A saliva sample will be collected for APOE e4 genotyping. All participants will have a goal-setting interview to determine their PA goals.Active volunteers aged 50–85 years will be recruited from the community randomized and trained to provide peer support as mentors (intervention group) or PALS (control group) for the 6-month intervention. Mentors and PALS will have PA, exercise self-efficacy and mentoring self-efficacy measured.Participants in both groups are asked to attend 3 workshops in 6 months. At the first workshop, they will meet their allocated Mentor or PAL who will deliver their respective programs and support via 6 telephone calls during the intervention.DiscussionIf the GM-PA program is successful in increasing the PA levels of the target group it will potentially provide another strategy and community resource that can be translated into practice.Trial registrationAustralia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12613001181796. (29/10/2013) retrospectively registered.

ASLO's Meeting Mentoring Program Brings Scientists Together

Mentoring is an invaluable tool for furthering the careers of early-career scientists. It can provide networking, professional development and career advice, and scientific/technical assistance, as well as helping early-career scientists find a welcoming community in their new field. Through the Teaching and Mentoring subcommittee, ASLO has sponsored a Meeting Mentoring Program at conferences for the past 4 yr. The program aims to help early-career aquatic scientists find mentors outside of their home institution by pairing them with established scientists at ASLO conferences. Since the program's inception, over 500 aquatic scientists have participated in the program. At the ASLO 2017 Aquatic Sciences Meeting in Honolulu, 119 mentees were paired with 79 mentors. Mentees self-selected volunteer mentors prior to the conference, mostly based on common research areas or future career interests. According to a self-reported survey, mentors and mentees met approximately 3–4 times during the conference, and mentees stated that the most valuable aspects of the program were career advice, preparation for their scientific presentation, advice navigating the conference, and networking. Both mentors and mentees found good personal and professional value in the program; 96% of mentors and 92% of mentees rated the program as some or high value to them. There is some evidence that the ASLO Meeting Mentoring Program leads to lasting professional relationships after the conclusion of ASLO conferences. In a recent survey of past participants, almost 40% of participants have maintained a professional relationship with their mentor or mentee, mostly through social networking and emails, for assistance with career advice, professional development, and job opportunities. At future ASLO meetings, we will be in need of more volunteer mentors to meet the needs of ASLO's early-career scientists. The time commitment prior to the conference is minimal. Mentors commit to meeting the mentee at least four times at the conference and introducing the mentee to colleagues. Sign-up to participate in this valuable program when you register for your next ASLO conference. It's a great way to get more involved with ASLO while helping to prepare the next generation of aquatic scientists! Rachel Horak, Chair, ASLO Teaching and Mentoring Subcommittee; rahorak@gmail.com

Identify Mutually Beneficial Alliances

The Volunteer Management ReportVolume 22, Issue 4 p. 6-6 Volunteer Mentoring Identify Mutually Beneficial Alliances First published: 21 March 2017 https://doi.org/10.1002/vmr.30628Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume22, Issue4April 2017Pages 6-6 RelatedInformation

Mentor suitability and mentoring relationship quality: Lessons from the Glasgow Intergenerational Mentoring Network

AbstractInequality in educational attainment is a serious and increasing problem in Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom, and youth mentoring is gaining popularity as an intervention to address this issue. However, evidence for the effectiveness of mentoring is weak, and research suggests that a large proportion of mentoring relationships end prematurely, which can be harmful to young people. This article draws on data from the Glasgow Intergenerational Mentoring Network, an ongoing research and development project facilitating mentoring for secondary school pupils in socially disadvantaged areas, employing retired professionals as volunteer mentors. Case material is presented to discuss the nature of mentoring and the role of the mentor. This article conceptualizes volunteer mentors as relational experts, relational learners, and nonrelational mentors. The implications of these categories are discussed in terms of recruitment, training, and support of mentors, to facilitate ethical and effective mentoring relationships.

Trends in Volunteer Mentoring in the United States: Analysis of a Decade of Census Survey Data.

Over the past decade, considerable resources have been devoted to recruiting volunteer mentors and expanding mentoring programs. It is unclear whether these efforts have helped to counter the broader national trends of declining volunteer rates. The current study uses data from the Volunteering Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS), sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, to explore population-level trends in mentoring over the past decade. Results suggest that mentoring rates have remained relatively stable over the past decade, but that the population of mentors has changed somewhat in terms of age, ethnicity, educational background, and region of the United States. In addition, certain sectors of the mentor population show higher rates of attrition from 1year to the next. Findings have important implications for the development of recruitment, training, and mentor support practices within mentoring organizations, as well as policies designed to meet the needs of at-risk youth in the U.S.

Enhancing Mentor Efficacy and Preparedness Through Web-Based Pre-Match Training

Self-efficacy and a sense of preparedness are key cognitions for retaining volunteer mentors and achieving positive youth outcomes. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a research-informed, Web-based pre-match training program, Preparing for Mentoring. Fifty-one mentoring programs with 127 volunteers were randomly assigned to the training (n = 80) or wait-list control (n = 47) group. Intent-to-treat regression analyses, controlling for baseline levels and demographic characteristics, revealed that trained volunteers were more self-efficacious, ready to mentor, and knowledgeable about the roles mentors should and should not play (particularly mentors with higher baseline scores), and had less unrealistically positive expectations than the control group. Results are discussed in terms of the need for mentoring programs to provide standardized, evidence-based training delivered with fidelity to volunteers to enhance their preparedness to mentor. Carefully designed research-informed, Web-based training can be more effective in accomplishing these preparedness goals than business-as-usual in-person training. Subscribe to JNEL

Supporting nurses' transition to rural healthcare environments through mentorship

The global shortage of rural healthcare professionals threatens the access these communities have to adequate healthcare resources. Barriers to recruitment and retention of nurses in rural facilities include limited resources, professional development opportunities, and interpersonal ties to the area. Mentorship programs have been used to successfully recruit and retain rural nurses. This study aimed to explore (i) employee perceptions of mentorship in rural healthcare organizations, (ii) the processes involved in creating mentoring relationships in rural healthcare organizations, and (iii) the organizational features supporting and inhibiting mentorship in rural healthcare organizations. This study was conducted in one rural health region in Saskatchewan, Canada. Volunteer participants who were employed at one rural healthcare facility were interviewed. A semi-structured interview guide that focused on exploring and gaining an understanding of participants' perceptions of mentorship in rural communities was employed. Data were analyzed using interpretive description methodology, which places high value on participants' subjective perspective and knowledge of their experience. All seven participants were female and employed as registered nurses or licensed practical nurses. Participants recognized that the rural environment offered unique challenges and opportunities for the transition of nurses new to rural healthcare. Participants believed mentorships facilitated this transition and were vital to the personal and professional success of new employees. Specifically, their insights indicated that this transition was influenced by three factors: rural community influences, organizational influences, and mentorship program influences. Facilitators for mentorships hinged on the close working relationships that facilitated the development of trust. Barriers to mentorship included low staff numbers, limited selection of volunteer mentors, and lack of mentorship education. The rural community context clearly presents challenges for the transition of nurses. Participants described mentorship as a vital component to personal and professional success of new employees in rural areas. The findings of this qualitative exploratory study inform the development of creative and supportive ways to establish mentorships to address the challenges specifically associated with integration of nurses into rural practice.

Predictors of early versus late match relationship beginnings in Big Brothers Big Sisters community programs

This study examined patterns and predictors of early versus late match relationship beginnings involving youth and adult volunteer mentors participating in Canadian Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) community mentoring programs. Survival and multinomial logistic regression models were estimated on a sample of 845 youth approved for service from 20 mentoring agencies. Results showed that just over half of the youth (53%) had been paired with a mentor 6months from the completion of their baseline assessment. At 12months, 70% had been paired. Compared to never-mentored youth, predictors associated with a reduced chance of an early match beginning (<6months) included youth gender (boys) and a rural or small town place of residence. Youth perceptions of emotional support from parents/caregivers and parents' expressed need for another adult in their child's life were associated with an increased chance of both early (<6months) and late match beginnings (6 or more months). Implications for agency services are discussed.

An innovative interprofessional education program for university medical, nursing, and social work students learning in teams during sessions and visits with geriatric mentors

Abstract This curricular resource describes a university interprofessional education program involving small teams composed of one first year medical student, one to two first year masters of social work students, and one to two traditional or accelerated nursing students. Case discussions framed by IPE competencies take place in a facility on campus with activities to be used with senior volunteer mentors. The main objective of using the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice 2011 is because students have limited knowledge of IPE collaborative practice and little exposure to geriatric populations. The format includes a blended learning environment to work in teams and debriefing before and after sessions and visits. Students are given pretest and posttest surveys and short reflective writing assignments throughout and at the end of the program. A majority of the students agree to strongly agree that knowledge of IPE increased, teamwork strengthened, and attitude toward seniors changed.

Experience with the UK New Enterprise Allowance scheme

The New Enterprise Allowance scheme provides support for unemployed people wishing to start a business or become self-employed. Financial support is provided through a weekly allowance and access to loan capital, with business advice provided through volunteer mentors. This paper outlines the introduction of New Enterprise Allowance in the UK, provides an overview of the service and describes the experience of one contractor delivering New Enterprise Allowance in North Scotland.

THE ROLE OF RELATIONAL, RECREATIONAL, AND TUTORING ACTIVITIES IN THE PERCEPTIONS OF RECEIVED SUPPORT AND QUALITY OF MENTORING RELATIONSHIP DURING A COMMUNITY-BASED MENTORING RELATIONSHIP

Previous research has shown that activities between volunteer mentors and youth mentees are associated with relationship quality. Using data from a longitudinal investigation of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) community mentoring relationships across Canada, the current study investigated whether different types of activities (relational and skill, recreational, and tutoring) moderate the association between mentees’ perceptions of received support and subsequent relationship quality. The results showed that, irrespective of activity type, activity frequency was positively associated with perceptions of received support and relationship quality. More importantly, higher frequency of recreational activities strengthened the positive association between perceptions of received support and relationship quality, whereas higher frequency of tutoring activities weakened this association. The implications for the provision of relational and skill, recreational, and tutoring activities are discussed in relation to BBBS programs.

Interprofessional education: What's Now, and What's Next?

This curricular resource describes a university interprofessional education program involving small teams composed of one first year medical student, one to two first year masters of social work students, and one to two traditional or accelerated nursing students. Case discussions framed by IPE competencies take place in a facility on campus with activities to be used with senior volunteer mentors. The main objective of using the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice 2011 is because students have limited knowledge of IPE collaborative practice and little exposure to geriatric populations. The format includes a blended learning environment to work in teams and debriefing before and after sessions and visits. Students are given pretest and posttest surveys and short reflective writing assignments throughout and at the end of the program. A majority of the students agree to strongly agree that knowledge of IPE increased, teamwork strengthened, and attitude toward seniors changed.

Caring for carers.

One of the UK's largest charities for carers is calling on healthcare professionals to become volunteer mentors in a bid to improve services.

Trusting the Untrustworthy: The Theology, Practice and Implications of Faith-Based Volunteers’ Work with Ex-Prisoners

This article analyses the nature of trust involved in mentoring ex-prisoners. Literature outlines understandings of well-placed trust as dependent upon the motivations of the trust parties, placed in those who are perceived to be trustworthy, or placed in those who have the potential to be trust-responsive. This article describes how faith-based volunteer mentors’ motivations to serve God rather than save man facilitated their bestowal of unearned trust on their ex-prisoner protégés and how this gift of trust was capable of potentiating a trustworthy response. It also describes how this proactive trust was well-placed in some who failed to be trustworthy because it encouraged open and honest communication of this failure. As a result, it argues in some circumstances it could be intelligent to place trust proactively without evidence of trustworthiness, and that trust of this kind could be especially important to people released from prison.

Collaboration behind-the-scenes: key to effective interprofessional education

A variety of stakeholders, including students, faculty, educational institutions and the broader health care and social service communities, work behind-the-scenes to support interprofessional education initiatives. While program designers are faced with multiple challenges associated with implementing and sustaining such programs, little has been written about how program designers practice the interprofessional competencies that are expected of students. This brief report describes the backstage collaboration underpinning the Dalhousie Health Mentors Program, a large and complex pre-licensure interprofessional experience connecting student teams with community volunteer mentors who have chronic conditions to learn about interprofessional collaboration and patient/client-centered care. Based on our experiences, we suggest that just as students are required to reflect on collaborative processes, interprofessional program designers should examine the ways in which they work together and take into consideration the impact this has on the delivery of the educational experience.

DEVELOPING TRAINING FOR SUPPORTERS OF LAY-CARERS INVOLVED WITH HOME BASED END OF LIFE CARE: A PARTICIPATORY APPROACH

IntroductionCurrent policy aims to enable more people to die in the place of their choice, and increase the number of people who die at home. Essential to this aspiration is...

Outcomes of a nationwide mentoring program for physician assistant educators.

Physician assistant (PA) program faculty recruited from clinical practice encounter many barriers to success in academia, contributing to high attrition rates. In response, the PAEA Research Institute developed a nationwide mentoring program for junior PA educators in 2010-2011, focused on scholarship. The program was not well-utilized; more than half of the 33 early-career faculty originally enrolled in the program failed to contact their volunteer mentors despite signing formal agreements. Neither confidence levels nor actual scholarly productivity differed significantly between the initially matched and wait-list groups. Time devoted to scholarship at the midpoint and end of the program correlated significantly with number of papers produced during the mentorship year (Pearson 0.830 and 0.823, respectively, P < .0001). A separate qualitative follow-up survey identified lack of time, communication issues, and lack of structured expectations for scholarly output as significant barriers. These results suggest lack of time may interfere with mentoring relationships and scholarly success for early-career PA educators.