Culturally Congruent Mentoring: Black College Women Supporting Black Girls
Format
Individual Presentation
Format
Individual Presentation
First Presenter's Institution
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
First Presenter’s Email Address
kpalexander@ncat.edu
First Presenter's Brief Biography
Kendra P. Alexander, Ph.D, MSW, MPA is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work and Sociology at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (NC A&T). She has over thirty years of experience in youth program design, implementation, and evaluation. Her research incorporates community-based participatory methods to examine the post-high school work and educational pathways of Black youth in urban and rural communities. She currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator of the Nia Project (Nia), a Children Youth and Families At-Risk (CYFAR) Sustainable Community Project, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Second Presenter's Institution
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
Second Presenter’s Email Address
bjmccullough@ncat.edu
Second Presenter's Brief Biography
Brianna McCullough, MSW, BSW is a 2023 graduate of NC A&T’s Bachelor of Social Work program and 2024 graduate of the Joint Master of Social Work (JMSW) program of NC A&T and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is currently in her first year as a school social worker for Guilford County (North Carolina) Public Schools and supports the Nia Project (Nia), a grant-funded youth initiative, as a project specialist and mentor to participating youth.
Third Presenter's Institution
Appalachian State University
Third Presenter’s Email Address
morgan.cynai@gmail.com
Third Presenter's Brief Biography
Morgan Parker is a sophomore undergraduate student at Appalachian State University where she majors in elementary education and is involved in scholarly endeavors that center Black culture. She served as a co-facilitator of the pilot summer implementation of the Nia Project (Nia) in Martin County (North Carolina) in 2024.
Submitter
I am submitting this proposal as one of the presenter(s)
Location
Verelst
Strand #1
Heart: Social & Emotional Skills
Strand #2
Home: Family & Community Engagement
Relevance
This presentation connects strongly to the "Heart" and "Home" strands. It highlights the importance of fostering social and emotional skills ("Heart") through mentoring relationships grounded in cultural congruence. The program also emphasizes the role of community engagement ("Home") by supporting Black girls in rural areas and addressing the unique challenges they face due to intersectional experiences of marginalization.
Brief Program Description
This session shares insights from Black college women implementing a culturally congruent summer mentoring program for Black middle school girls in a rural community. It explores the value of relationship-building and cultural alignment in addressing the unique needs of mentees.
Summary
Our presentation showcases an innovative summer mentoring initiative that served Black middle school girls in rural communities eastern North Carolina. Recognizing the unique lived experiences of this demographic, we implemented a culturally congruent approach led by Black college women mentors from local communities.
Throughout the summer, mentors engaged in various activities aimed at building strong, supportive relationships with their mentees. These activities were carefully crafted to reflect and celebrate Black culture, fostering a sense of pride and belonging among the participants.
Our presentation will detail the program's structure, implementation process, and preliminary outcomes. We will share insights on the challenges and successes encountered during the pilot phase, as well as strategies for overcoming obstacles specific to rural communities. Additionally, we will discuss the impact of the program on both the mentees and the college student mentors, highlighting the mutual benefits of this culturally responsive approach.
By sharing our experiences, we aim to inspire and guide other educators and community leaders in developing similar programs that address the unique needs of Black girls in rural areas. Our presentation will conclude with recommendations for scaling and adapting this model to different contexts, emphasizing the critical role of cultural congruence in mentoring relationships.
Evidence
The importance of culturally congruent mentoring for Black girls is well-documented in scholarly literature. Rhodes et al. (2017) emphasize that mentoring programs considering cultural factors are more effective in promoting positive youth development among minority populations. Specifically for Black girls, Butler-Barnes et al. (2018) highlight the significance of racial identity and cultural pride in fostering resilience and academic success, particularly in rural settings where resources may be limited. Furthermore, Griffith et al. (2019) demonstrate the importance of racial connection for Black women in college.
Rhodes, J. E., Schwartz, S. E., Willis, M. M., & Wu, M. B. (2017). Validating a mentoring relationship quality scale: Does match strength predict match length? Youth & Society, 49(4), 415-437.
Butler-Barnes, S. T., Leath, S., Williams, A., Byrd, C., Carter, R., & Chavous, T. M. (2018). Promoting resilience among African American girls: Racial identity as a protective factor. Child Development, 89(6), 1995-2013.
Griffith, A. N., Hurd, N. M., & Hussain, S. B. (2019). "I didn't come to school for this": A qualitative examination of experiences with race-related stressors and coping responses among Black students attending a predominantly White institution. Journal of Adolescent Research, 34(2), 115-139.
Learning Objective 1
Participants will understand the importance of cultural congruence in mentoring programs for Black middle school girls in rural communities.
Learning Objective 2
Participants will identify strategies for implementing a successful summer mentoring program that focuses on relationship-building and cultural affirmation.
Learning Objective 3
Participants will recognize the mutual benefits of cross-generational mentoring relationships between Black college women and middle school girls.
Keyword Descriptors
Cultural congruence, Rural mentorship, Black girls, Social-emotional development, cross-age mentoring
Presentation Year
2025
Start Date
3-4-2025 2:45 PM
Recommended Citation
Alexander, Kendra P.; McCullough, Brianna J.; and Parker, Morgan C., "Culturally Congruent Mentoring: Black College Women Supporting Black Girls" (2025). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 62.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2025/2025/62
Culturally Congruent Mentoring: Black College Women Supporting Black Girls
Verelst
This session shares insights from Black college women implementing a culturally congruent summer mentoring program for Black middle school girls in a rural community. It explores the value of relationship-building and cultural alignment in addressing the unique needs of mentees.