Mentoring Boys and
Young Men of Color

Guide to Mentoring Boys and Young Men of Color

MENTOR and My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBKA) together sponsored the creation of a guidebook “Guide to Mentoring Boys and Young Men of Color.”  The Guide serves as a supplement to the fourth edition of The Elements of Effective Practice for MentoringTM, and includes additional recommended practices focusing on boys and young men of color (BYMOC). Born from the idea that BYMOC are better served with a targeted set of practices which represent enhancements of those in the original Elements, these additional recommended practices are emergent based on recent research and recommendations from researchers and practitioners in the field. Data shows that boys and young men of color, regardless of socio-economic background, are disproportionately at risk throughout the journey from their youngest years to college and career (the White House “Fact Sheet”, 2014). This guide is part of an effort to push mentoring programs closer to the cutting edge of research and practice, increasing the rigor of our collective work with mentors and mentees. The practices and resources discussed in this guide will be useful to any mentoring program serving BYMOC and will help them ensure that their services are culturally relevant and effective in changing lives and communities.

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Additional Resources

Conversations About Masculinity: How Mentors Can Support Young Men of Color
This guide, released in partnership with The Fellowship Intiative at JPMorgan Chase & Co, Action Research Associates, and Vibrant Emotional Health, is a research-backed and youth-informed guide unpacking the timely and critical topic of toxic masculinity.

Finding the Greatness Within
This guide, released in partnership with JPMorgan Chase & Co. assists mentors in helping youth prepare for college and their careers, highlights research on the systemic barriers that young men of color have to overcome and helps mentors be more effective.

Mentoring for Black Male Youth: National Mentoring Resource Center Population Review
This literature review, conducted by Bernadette Sánchez, PhD of DePaul University, focuses on both volunteer mentoring programs and informal mentoring relationships to explore the effects of mentoring for Black male youth.

My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Webinar Series
These webinars provide some high-level technical assistance to mentoring program staff and mentors around best practices for designing effective mentoring services for boys and young men of color.

Supporting Young People in the Wake of Violence and Trauma
This guide provides information and recommendations to help mentors affirm young people’s experiences and provide support after incidents of violence or traumatic events occur.

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  • MENTOR National and Affiliates will use the information you provide to better inform future publications and keep you up to date with advancements in the mentoring field. For more information, check out our privacy policy.