ABSTRACT
The evaluation of mentoring programs designed to meet the needs of at-risk populations is of particular interest to the authors. We recognize the challenges: as Blechman (1992) stated, ‘attempts to evaluate existing mentoring programs seem premature because the term mentoring is now applied to diverse programs united only by an interest in helping inner city, minority youth’. We propose that mentoring programmes should evaluate their impact on two levels: the overall impact of the program and the impact on individual participants. All mentoring programs should have clear guidelines that govern their operation and goals (National Mentoring Partnership 1998). Without linking these goals to the individual success of the youth being mentored, the evaluation process is weakened. The youth’s outcomes should be the measure of the program’s effectiveness.
