Put Some "RESPECT" in Mentoring Programs for Young Men

Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

Messages of Empowerment Productions, LLC

Second Presenter's Institution

NA

Third Presenter's Institution

NA

Fourth Presenter's Institution

NA

Fifth Presenter's Institution

NA

Location

Poster Session (Harborside)

Strand #1

Social & Emotional Skills

Strand #2

Family & Community

Relevance

The R.E.S.P.E.C.T. mentoring program for black boys contributes to the theme of helping adults serve youth by providing concrete examples of how to address mental health awareness within the context of broader life skills development. Participants will be given tools and techniques for integrating conversations about mental wellness into activities and discussions related to family, community, peers, educational attainment, and future goals in particular.

Brief Program Description

This presentation highlights 7 modules that serve as the foundation for the "R.E.S.P.E.C.T." mentoring program aimed at enhancing community-based mentoring programs for young boys ages 10-15. R.E.S.P.E.C.T. is a (male) gender-specific, and culturally responsive programmatic framework for addressing mental health for black boys within the context of broader life skills development and community connectivity.

Summary

Presentation attendees will be introduced to the “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.” mentoring model for young black boys using 7 programmatic strategies as follows: (1) Representations of Reality, Roles & Responsibilities, & Risk-taking; (2) Education, Employment, Enlistment, & Entrepreneurship; (3) Sex, Sexual Responsibility & Safety, & Sexual Identity; (4) People-centered: Partners, Parents, Peers, Professionals, & Police; (5) Emotions: Anger, Sadness, Depression, Shame, Guilt, & Fear, (6) Community & Civic Engagement; and (7) Thinking Skills (Creative, Critical, Consequences). The presentation ends with Q&A about practical strategies for enhancing existing mentoring programs for boys with male-centered perspectives on mental wellness.

Evidence

The R.E.S.P.E.C.T mentoring program model is informed by theory and practice. Select theoretical frameworks that shaped the module contents include: (1) Cultural humility; (2) Maslow’s hierarchy of needs; (3) Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development; (4) Trauma informed programs ; (5) Strength-based interventions, (6) Ecological models, (7) Strain theory , (8) Gender transformative practices, and (9) Service learning communities. The program also draws heavily from pilot studies and evaluation findings from community-based programs for young boys in juvenile custody, attending alternative schools, participating in diversion programs through juvenile accountability courts, and living in high risk neighborhoods.

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Quinn Gentry (affectionately known as “Dr. Quinn”) is President and CEO of Messages of Empowerment Productions, LLC (TEAM-MOE) – a public health and management consulting firm. A behavioral scientist by training, Dr. Quinn has over 25 years of experience in health programs and interventions in clinical and community settings. Her work in men’s mental health focuses primary on adolescents and young men ages 13-24. Specifically, she has developed, implemented, and evaluated public health education, prevention, and early interventions to engage African American young men on issues related to juvenile delinquency, child welfare, school truancy, adolescent pregnancy, HIV prevention, and teen dating violence. Findings from her evaluation studies indicated that unmet mental health issues was a common denominator that placed young black men at greater risk for behaviors that brought them to the attention of the juvenile justice system, and later, adult prison. For this webinar, Dr. Quinn will be focusing on how she used evaluation and epidemiological data to develop a community mentoring program known as “RESPECT” for young boys ages 10-15 to address mental health within the context of broader life skills development.

Dr. Quinn completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and holds a Ph.D. degree in Sociology with a concentration in Race and Urban Studies from Georgia State University.

Keyword Descriptors

adolescent male development, mentoring programs, mental health, community psychology

Presentation Year

2019

Start Date

3-5-2019 4:00 PM

End Date

3-5-2019 5:30 PM

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Mar 5th, 4:00 PM Mar 5th, 5:30 PM

Put Some "RESPECT" in Mentoring Programs for Young Men

Poster Session (Harborside)

This presentation highlights 7 modules that serve as the foundation for the "R.E.S.P.E.C.T." mentoring program aimed at enhancing community-based mentoring programs for young boys ages 10-15. R.E.S.P.E.C.T. is a (male) gender-specific, and culturally responsive programmatic framework for addressing mental health for black boys within the context of broader life skills development and community connectivity.