Mentoring Program

Mentoring is a model of intervention against school drop out, originally born within a programme of social policies in New York State. In short, it is possible to define mentoring as a supporting one-to-one relationship between an adult and an at-risk child (of school drop out), explicitly aiming at facilitating the educational, social and personal growth of the latter.

Key-words: prevention, child empowerment, child resiliency, network intervention, strengthening of primary social networks, non-professional personnel's service.

The local Education Offices have identified, for the years 1997-98 and 1998-99, new areas in need of intervention according to the school drop out indicators.

In 1999, three middle-school in the area of Lecce (Italy) are going to be involved in the programme, for a total amount of 30 pairs (children and mentors) working together.

Mentors' recruitment is carried out among adult people external to the education world and includes a 10 hour training aiming at:

1. clarifying the group's role, giving support and competence

2. forming a group able to self-nourish and self-support in the difficult moments

3. making it possible for the mentors to take from their own experiences the help messages they experimented as positive.

Indicators of the mentoring report:

- the amount of interactions between mentor and mentee

- feeling of liking, attachment and commonality with the other member

- the commitment in the relationship expressed in the wish to continue

- satisfaction of the relationship

- increases in mentees self-esteem

Director: Bianca Rosa Gelli

Coordinator: Terri Mannarini

University of Lecce

Department of Psychological, Educational and Didactic Sciences

via Stampacchia, 73100 Lecce - ITALY

Tel. 0039-0832-336734

Fax 0039-0832-305819

Email: terriman@ilenic.unile.it