Kre’Shon Singleton
Research Mentor(s): Denise Jones
Mentor Department: Combined Program in Education and Psychology (CPEP)
Authors: Zaida Pearson, Denise Jones, Deanna Sinex
Session: Session 3 (11:00am – 11:50am)
Presentation Type: Poster 87
Abstract
All forms of mentorship, including informal, formal, and natural mentorship, are beneficial to youth lives (Bruce et al., 2014). The benefits of mentorship for youth can be further enhanced when youth share the same race and/or gender with their mentor. Sharing their racial and/or gender identity with their mentor can help youth with their self confidence, resilience, identity exploration, and identity affirmation (Jones et al., 2024, Champion 2021, Denton, 2023). One aspect of mentorship practices that is understudied is racial/ethnic socialization, which is typically studied in the family context. However, it is particularly relevant within the mentorship context because same race mentorship relationships are uniquely beneficial to youth since they help youth with things such as self perception of school ability and encouragement to succeed (Champion 2021). To gain a comprehensive understanding of racial socialization within mentor-mentee relationships, the current study explores the positive impact of shared racial and/or gender identities within mentorship through the perspective of students from Youth Enrichment Services, a community-based non profit that strives to give resources and opportunities to underserved minority youth in the Pittsburgh area. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews (N=6) and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis through a case study approach. The current study underscores the importance of shared racial and gendered mentorship relationships, where shared identities have the potential to facilitate racial socialization, which is critical to the development of marginalized youth. The implications of the current study have the potential to inform mentorship practices in youth-serving institutions and organizations to best support marginalized youth.
