Cultural and Class Conflicts in Mentor-Mentee Matches
Panelists
- Brian Sales, MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership
- Desiree Robertson, Memphis Grizzlies TEAM UP
- Pamila Gant, Mentoring Works Washington
Far too many of us are uncomfortable discussing race, culture and class. Responding to conflict of “cultural and class tension” can be challenging for even the most experienced professional, but lack of discussion can negatively impact how mentoring programs recruit, support and engage mentees and mentors. Practitioners and researchers believe that this “cultural and class tension” can be attributed to lack of proper screening, inadequate cultural competency training, deficit thinking by the mentor, and unwitting micro-aggressions that play out during the match. Listen to Desiree Robertson, Manager of the Team Up Youth Mentoring Partnership, and Pamela Gant, Outreach Officer of Mentoring Works Washington, as they provide an overview of research on race, culture and class in mentoring matches and discuss cultural competency training approaches for programs.
Resources:
Example of Activities – Part 1
Example of Activities – Part 2
Diversity Discussion Starters
Webliography