For example, clients, or patients, with support from peers, may have one-on-one sessions that meet regularly to help them recover or rehabilitate.
Peer mentoring led by senior students may discourage diversity and prevent Critical analysis of the higher education system.
[9] Successful mentors tend to be available, knowledgeable, educated in diversity issues, empathic, personable, encouraging, supportive, and passionate.
[14] Youth mentors are persons for children or adolescents to spend time with, often to compensate for absent family members or an inadequate home environment.
[18] During the last decade, peer mentoring has expanded and is found in most colleges and universities, frequently as a means to outreach, retain, and recruit minority students.
Some examples are as follows: Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) is a peer-led structured academic mentoring program designed to provide academic assistance for new students in their transition from college to university studies and also for students struggling in certain units at Monash University.
Friendly peer leaders are empowered with guided support to impart their knowledge and experience, and motivate mentees to do better with coursework.
These VYP program benefits, in turn, resulted in a positive impact on school success and lowered the dropout rates of these tutors.
[23]The Peer Mentor program at UMass Amherst offers undergraduate students the chance to be live-in, part-time staff members for freshman residents within residential life.
[1] The main goal of peer mentors at EOP is to help students connect and be made aware of campus resources, staff, university etiquette, and serve as a supportive role model to foster motivation and transition from Community College or Highschool into a four year Institution.
As a consequence, mentors serve as positive role models for the students, guiding them towards academic and social success.
In higher education tutorial settings, the benefits of peer mentoring programs also extend to class tutors.
Without extensive training and supervision, senior students who serve as mentors may offer unreliable guidance to peer mentees.
"[2] Stephanie Budge states: Peer mentoring in higher education usually focuses on social, academic, and cultural skills that can help students graduate from colleges and universities, and how the educational system works (e.g. how to apply for financial aid, how to register for classes, how to write papers, how to choose a major, etc.).
Thus, mentors who are slightly older than their mentees can take advantage of the higher status provided by their age difference while enjoying increased compatibility with their students.
The specific benefits of cross-age mentoring/tutoring are numerous, and are briefly described here in three main categories: increased academic achievement, improved interpersonal skills, and personal development.
[40][41] Cross-age mentorship, and tutoring programs in particular, support the academic achievement and learning process of both the mentor and the mentee.
[40][41] In addition to improved learning and transmission of information, the mentorship process allows both students to develop more effective interpersonal communication skills.
Mentees learn how to effectively form and pose questions, seek advice, and practice active listening and concentration.
This format fosters increased self-esteem, empathy and patience in both participants, potentially creating new friendships and breaking down social barriers for students struggling to adjust to a new academic setting.
Often the mentor will serve as an important role-model, and can model academic skills and work habits as well as personal values (e.g. dedication to service, empathy, and internal motivation).
This relationship can be pivotal for the success of new or underserved students in academia by providing an opportunity for peers to discuss academic issues, career choices, research ideas, and personal matters.
[citation needed] Stated by Goodlad and Sinclair, "Peer tutoring is the system of instruction in which learners help each other and learn by teaching.
The skills a tutor develops can be applied to other aspects in life including graduate school or a future job.
Moreover, mentors will also benefit from ongoing training, supervision and psychological support by teachers, administrators, parents and other members of the community.
[51] Peer mentoring offers a low cost way to train new employees or to upgrade the skills of less experienced workers.
[56][57] Peer mentoring has been shown to increase resistance to stress-related anxiety and depression in patients, or clients, affected by chronic illness or mental health issues.
Peer mentors can also help patients prepare for medical and surgical procedures and adhere to treatment regimes.
Peer mentoring has been implemented in programs to support survivors of traumatic brain injury,[58] cancer patients,[59] dialysis patients,[60] diabetics[61] persons with spinal cord injuries,[62][63][64] and to reduce HIV transmission and increase adherence to treatment in HIV-positive IV drug users.
[66][67][68][69] Peer mentoring has also been used to; assist foster youth in receiving resources EOP CSUN, prevent gang violence in schoolchildren[70] and teens,[71] to support young people who have been sexually exploited,[72] to improve the quality of child care among economically disadvantaged first-time mothers,[73] and to improve performance in military recruits.