Building Concrete Bridges for Youth

In this comprehensive guide, you will be provided resources and insight on the best practices the author has used through personal and professional experiences in working with at-risk and underserved youth populations to create award-winning programs. This guide will provide behavior theories that have been identified as useful in understanding the approaches needed by youth mentoring programs to assess the mentoring needs of at-risk and underserved populations. This is a blueprint composed of three sections that will aid in the development, renovation, and sustainability of mentoring programs servicing underserved and at-risk youth. -Section one covers the author's struggle with adolescent behavioral issues and why mentoring is important to impacting the trajectory of youth development. -Section two will cover best practices developed over time with building, directing, and advising youth mentoring programs that are effective, efficient and produce positive outcomes in youth lives. -Section three will provide behavioral theories that have been applied to practices during interaction with youth and building strong, cohesive bonds throughout mentoring programs. This guide is primarily intended as a resource for youth program mentors, coordinators, and professionals developing new mentoring programs or considering revamping current programs providing services to the at-risk or underserved youth population.