The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a culturally-specific mentoring intervention to improve socio-emotional skills, psychological well-being, and social support among at-risk youth and to evaluate the proposed mentoring intervention's impact on academic outcomes, social behavior, and caregiver perceptions of social-emotional competencies. Additionally, it seeks to gather stakeholder feedback to refine the intervention further.
actively enrolled in the partnering community organization (e.g., Boys and Girls Clubs)
Participants and their caregivers must be able to provide informed assent/consent in English. Parental Consent: Participants must have parental or guardian consent to participate in the study.
Self-identifies as a racial-ethnic minority (i.e., Black/African American, Hispanic, etc.)
Current participation in another mentoring program: To avoid confounding the results, youth currently involved in other mentoring or structured socio-emotional support programs will be excluded.
Severe cognitive or developmental disabilities: The study will exclude participants with mental impairments that prevent meaningful engagement in focus groups or intervention activities.