NRPA is committed to advancing youth mentoring in parks and recreation to support positive youth development and ensure young people have the support and resources they need to thrive. NRPA’s mentorship work grew out of a response to the opioid epidemic and recognizing the devastating impact substance use disorder has on local park and recreation agencies and their communities. Local park and recreation agencies play a vital — and often overlooked — role in supporting young people’s wellness through out-of-school time and in-school programs.

Mentoring in Parks and Rec: Overarching Goals

NRPA aims to support mentoring in parks and recreation through the following strategies:

1. Provide funding, training and technical assistance to local park and recreation agencies and community partners to implement evidence-based, youth mentoring programs. The programs have a specific focus on preventing, reducing and addressing juvenile delinquency and victimization, increasing positive behaviors and outcomes in youth, supporting youth impacted by substance misuse and adverse child experiences (ACEs), and supporting youth from historically disenfranchised populations.

2. Collaborate with partners to develop turn-key resources and tools, such as NRPA’s Youth Mentoring Framework, to help professionals implement high-quality mentoring programs that support family engagement, career development, community service and leverage the role of parks and recreation as Community Wellness Hubs.

3. Provide field-wide training and professional development opportunities to build the capacity of park and recreation professionals to develop youth mentoring programs and build core competencies in DEI and racial equity among park and recreation professionals operating mentoring programs.

Impacts

Beginning in 2018, NRPA partnered with local communities to implement mentoring programs in parks and recreation focused on supporting youth impacted by substance misuse in rural Appalachia (an area highly impacted by the opioid epidemic). This work expanded in 2020 to include communities in New England and again in 2022 to agencies around the country that are implementing evidence-based mentoring into out-of-school time programs through one-on-one and group mentoring models.

Since 2018, NRPA has funded 55 communities in 28 states and the District of Columbia. Of those agencies:

• 11 have implemented or expanded 1:1 mentoring programs
• 29 offer group mentoring programs
• 15 offer some combination of the two models

These programs vary in size, serving small rural towns to large urban communities, and take place in a range of formats from youth sports, afterschool programs, in-school clubs and more.

Through 2023, the 2018, 2020 and 2022 grantee mentoring programs have matched more than 2,000 youth and more than 400 adult mentors.

Mentees

An evaluation of the 2018 Mentoring Program demonstrated encouraging findings about the impact of park and recreation mentoring programs on youth. Through pre- and post-surveys, mentees reported an increase in the number of adults they can count on. Forty-five percent reported a positive change in the presence of a parent and/or adult relative in their lives. Furthermore, after twelve months in the mentorship program, the percentage of mentees who reported they could count on their parents increased from 83 percent in a pre-program survey to 89 percent. As the program progressed, mentees also were more likely to say they could count on their mentors, with rates increasing from 21 to 61 percent over 12 months.

Mentees were increasingly more open to sharing their thoughts and problems with adults. Forty-two percent demonstrated positive increases in their ability to share openly with the adults in their lives from pre- to post-timepoints. The rate of mentees who reported having adults to share thoughts and feelings increased from pre- (86 percent) to post- (96 percent) at 12 months.

Mentees participated more in community service and extracurricular activities outside of school. Nearly half (49 percent) increased their community involvement during their participation in the program. The rate of mentees who engaged in community service increased from 26 percent in pre-program surveys to 41 percent after 12 months in the program. Similarly, involvement in extracurricular activities rose from 41 percent in pre-program surveys to 59 percent after 12 months.

Program evaluations of the 2020 and 2022 Mentoring Programs are underway. Initial data from the 2020 cohort indicate mentee improvements in parent/caregiver relationships, increased rates of mental health, a rising percentage demonstrating age-appropriate academic capabilities and higher rates of engagement in school.

Mentors

The evaluation of the 2018 Mentoring Program showed that mentors reported substantial knowledge gains throughout their involvement in the program. Fifty-five percent increased their knowledge in some way. The largest percentage reported learning how to better provide direction to mentees with respect to substance use. The rate of mentors who felt knowledgeable on this topic increased from 80 percent pre-program surveys to 89 percent after 12 months in the program.

Mentors reported their mentees were increasingly 1) making better life decisions, 2) more interested in school and 3) more focused on their futures. One stated their mentee “has improved on his decision making in all aspects of his life … he now understands the consequences to his actions.” Another relayed how their mentee was “able to improve his grades and show more interest in school.”

Initial results from the ongoing 2020 Mentoring Program evaluation indicate similar levels of knowledge gains among mentors. Mentors also noted how their mentees are better able to open up/share emotions, while another three-quarters feel their mentee has made improvements since they started meeting. Mentors are also enjoying their experience as a mentor; the vast majority (88 percent) agreed their mentoring experience has been enjoyable.

 

Related Content

Explore communications highlighting NPRA’s Mentoring in Parks and Recreation initiative.

Blog Posts

• Integrating Mentoring Into Park and Recreation Programming
• Mentoring: Adding Stars to Youth’s Solar Systems
• Engaging Families Leads to Profound Impacts for Youth in Mentoring Programs
• Adopting a Mentoring Mindset Three Strategies to Engage Mentors to Support Youth Development

Podcasts

• “The Importance of Mentoring in Parks and Recreation”
• “How Mentoring Supports Youth Impacted by the Opioid Epidemic”
• “Make an Impact by Leading with a Mentoring Mindset”

Articles and Press Releases

• “Rural Appalachian parks departments ‘train trauma’ to support youth”
• “Engaging Youth Through Mentoring”
• New Survey: 9 in 10 U.S. Adults Say Youth Mentorship is Important

This content is supported by Grants # 2018-JU-FX-0036 and #2020-JY-FX-0002 # 15PJDP-22-GG-03735-MENT and #15PJDP-22-GG-03844-MENT awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice.