violence” (Whitmire, 1996, 2). Adding to the dourness of these statistics is the fact that a recent study conducted by the Kellogg Foundation found that more than one-third of America’s black youth are disconnected, that is, not in school, employed, or in the military (Whitmire, 1996, 1).
In lieu of these statistics, it comes as no surprise that there is a pressing need for mentors for black youth in America. Mentoring is supported across the literature as being a successful method of helping give direction, guidance, and companionship to at-risk youth. A gasp moved through the crowd at a recent gathering of mostly black philanthropists when the results of their vote for the top four priorities for black philanthropy were displayed electronically on a screen in the front of the room. The reason for the gasp? Civil rights was not among the top four for the first time. What made the top four? Where the 160 philanthropists were concerned, the need for mentoring was among them: “education; prevention of crime and violence; youth development and mentoring, and community/economic development” (Inskip, 1998, 1).
One of the biggest factors associated with making youths at-risk for delinquency is the lack of exposure to positive role models. This is where mentoring can supply one of the factors that have been empirically proven to affect successful youth development. No one claims mentoring is a magic bullet or panacea for all that challenges black youth development in modern society. However, it provides the youth an opportunity for a mature companion who acts as a sounding board, an older brother, a coach, and a friend. This is extremely significant in the development of a black youth, not only because of the difficulties and challenges facing a one-parent, poor environment but also because of the difficulties for a youth of any color to deal with the complex time and challenges adolescence presents. It is a time ...