Predictors of natural mentoring relationships among former foster youth

2017 ◽  
Vol 79 ◽  
pp. 564-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Zinn
Keyword(s):  
Foster Youth ◽  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Former Foster Youth ◽  
Natural Mentoring

Aging Out of Foster Care in Emerging Adulthood

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna K.P. Greeson ◽  
Allison E. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Foster Youth ◽  
Child Welfare System ◽  
Welfare System ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Aging Out ◽  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Natural Mentoring ◽  
The Life Course

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a significant developmental stage. When foster youth age out of the child welfare system, they are at risk of having to transition without family support. This chapter applies the life course perspective to describe the theoretical and contextual foundation that explains the hardships foster youth experience when emancipated from the US child welfare system. Next, the theoretical basis for natural mentoring among foster youth is explored using the resiliency perspective to frame the discussion. Then, current research on natural mentoring among foster youth is reviewed. Implications are drawn for US child welfare practice, policy, and research with respect to how to improve outcomes for youth who age out of foster care through the cultivation of natural mentoring relationships. The chapter concludes with an examination of systems in place to support transitioning foster youth from England, Israel, and Australia.

scholarly journals Aging out of foster care: The experiences of former foster youth who successfully navigated this transition

2021 ◽  
pp. 251610322110194
Author(s):  
Margot Hedenstrom
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Foster Youth ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Aging Out ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Former Foster Youth ◽  
Making A Difference ◽  
Human Costs ◽  
Poor Outcomes

Foster youth face high risks and poor outcomes after aging out of care resulting in great economic and human costs to society. The purpose of the study was to describe life experiences of children aging out of the foster care system from the perspectives of adults who have successfully navigated this transition. Their life experiences during this period provided meaningful information for this study which helped to identify themes. Their perceptions of the periods during and after their transitions were explored to investigate supportive relationships, education, and workplace stability. Phenomenology was used to describe the experiences of nine young adults who had aged out of foster care. Participant ages ranged from 20 to 25 years old. Audiotaped semi-structured interviews were conducted for the study. Data analysis was ongoing throughout data collection. Four themes were identified: (1) “Facing a transition”; (2) “Depending on adults for help”; (3) “Making a difference for others”; and (4) “Moving forward with my life.” These four themes highlighted the participants’ experiences as they aged out of foster care. This study contributes to our understanding of the life experiences of former foster youth who are successful after the transition out of foster care. Recommendations for practice and research are identified.

Conferring Kinship: Examining Fictive Kinship Status in a Black Adolescent’s Natural Mentoring Relationship

2021 ◽  
pp. 009579842110026
Author(s):  
Edward D. Scott ◽  
Nancy L. Deutsch
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Relational Context ◽  
Mentoring Relationship ◽  
Fictive Kinship ◽  
Natural Mentoring ◽  
Narrative Methodology ◽  
Positive Feature ◽  
Nonparental Adults

This case study examines the way an adolescent Black boy extends his kinship network as a part of navigating and demonstrating agency in mentoring relationships with nonparental adults. We purposively selected one participant, Bodos, from the sample of a larger mixed-method study involving youth, aged 12 to 18 years, in the southeastern United States. Drawing on narrative methodology, we used a holistic-content approach to analyze Bodos’ responses to semistructured interviews. Bodos used several narratives to describe his experiences. We offer three findings: (a) Fictive kinship is a positive feature of Black adaptive culture that can be leveraged by Black youth as a tool for creating a distinct relational dynamic with their mentors, (b) adolescent Black boys possess skills and knowledge that both preexist and emerge within positive mentoring relationships, and (c) youth agency and expectations manifest in mentoring relationships to inform and influence those adults’ significance. This case study furthers the field’s understanding of how cultural practices can positively influence relational development and create a unique relational context and experience.

Fostering Communication

2022 ◽  
Vol 6 (GROUP) ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
John Fowler ◽  
Mark Zachry ◽  
David W. McDonald
Keyword(s):  
Online Community ◽  
Foster Youth ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Future Research ◽  
First Year ◽  
Former Foster Youth ◽  
Online Spaces ◽  
Effective Community ◽  
Descriptive Framework

The period of transition for foster youth into independent adulthood is an important life stage, and one that has yet to be explored in HCI circles. We studied an online community centered on the experiences of former foster youth through the first year of its existence to better understand how online spaces are being used by this population. Our mixed-method study included the coding of all posts from the first year of the online community and offers a mix of quantitative and qualitative findings. These findings include alignments and gaps in an established descriptive framework from the field of social work as it relates to the online communication of former foster youth. It also includes how the domains from the framework co-occur, and some potential implications of these co-occurrences. Future research on this subject is warranted, particularly related to why former foster youth seek online platforms to engage in conversations on these topics and how effective community members perceive the platform to be in safely and securely facilitating their needs.

Natural Mentoring Relationships

2012 ◽  
pp. 143-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc A. Zimmerman ◽  
Jeffrey B. Bingenheimer ◽  
Diana E. Behrendt
Keyword(s):  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Natural Mentoring

Predictors of natural mentoring relationships and students’ adjustment to college

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 525-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciano Berardi ◽  
Bernadette Sanchez ◽  
Gabriel Kuperminc
Keyword(s):  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Adjustment To College ◽  
Natural Mentoring
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