This project seeks to explore the use of mentorship as an intervention mechanism for at-risk youth in Syracuse, living with the consequences of poverty and community violence. The first part is an interview-based study that analyzes the effects on youth and mentors that participate in mentorship programs in Syracuse, New York focusing on the reciprocal nature of those benefits. While mentors guide urban youth through academic, social, and personal challenges, this study finds the principal benefits to the mentees interviewed were exposure to new opportunities and improved interpersonal and communication skills. Furthermore, the mentors themselves felt the relationship was an eye-opening experience and changed their perspectives of the community. The second part of the project is action-oriented, seeking to undersand and address the challenges of recruiting enough mentors to serve the youth in need of them. In a partnership with P.E.A.C.E. Inc. Big Brothers Big Sisters Program, I conducted research on mentor recruitment, developed a recruitment strategy and deliverables to enable them to better serve youth.
