RTI International - News Release - 10.5.2009

RTI International, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle Will Evaluate Mentoring Program to Assist Youth

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.—RTI International will partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle to evaluate mentoring models under a grant from the Department of Justice.

The $3.5 million grant is part of an effort to better understand youth mentoring and its effects. RTI researchers in partnership with BBBS-T will evaluate the success of different mentoring models that are designed to encourage positive development and prevent delinquency.

The study will explore the feasibility of adding a paid mentoring component to a well-established volunteer mentoring program and examine how paying mentors versus using volunteer mentors affects mentors and the children they work with.

"We are trying to identify the best way to encourage positive development among vulnerable youth," said Jim Trudeau, Ph.D., of RTI, the project's principal investigator. "By better understanding what motivates mentors and how their interactions improve youth development and behavior, we can find better ways to help these kids."

As part of the study, researchers will assess differences in youth delinquency, aggression, substance use, school performance and positive development to determine whether paying mentors affects youth outcomes.

"We are honored to work with RTI International, which will highlight an innovative public/private partnership and brings critical resources to North Carolina for serving our state's most vulnerable children," said Kimberly Breeden, chief executive office, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle, Inc.

The team also will assess the cost-effectiveness of paying mentors compared to the children’s development and behavior improvements.

BBBS-T pairs more than 1,000 mentors each year with Triangle at-risk youth ages 6 to 14. The children are primarily from low-income, single-parent homes.