I came across this case study, Mentoring in the Time of COVID-19: An Analysis of Online Focus Groups with Mentors to Youth, by Michelle R. Kaufman, Kate Wright, Jeannette Simon, Giselle Edwards, Johannes Thrul and David L. DuBois. It was published: 28 July 2021 in the American Journal of Community Psychology. 

This study explored the experiences of mentors to youth during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Six online focus groups (OFGs) were conducted with 39 mentors. Using Facebook groups, moderators posted questions and prompts, and mentor participants responded using textual comments. Mentor help involved routinely connecting with mentees and providing academic support.

Some things that stood out to me:

• The success of the online mentoring program came largely because these mentors and mentees were already interacting offsite, they already had a relationship, and the mentors were trained about what a meaningful mentoring relationship looked like and about the issues mentees might be facing at home (witnessing domestic violence, substance abuse, etc.). The research found that virtually connecting with mentees can be difficult for mentors without prior, organized planning. All of this is something I learned in researching online mentoring programs for the Virtual Volunteering Project.
• Mentor concerns for their mentees varied, including mental health, school, family finances, and access to instrumental support and food. In short: mentoring requires much more than uplifting messages.
• Just as I learned in researching online mentoring programs for the Virtual Volunteering Project and, later, The LAST Virtual Volunteering Guidebook, online mentors need specific and ongoing ideas for things to do online with their mentees. One of the most popular pages on the old VV Project web site was a list of ideas for online mentors to do with youth.
• The digital divide is still VERY much an issue for mentees and their families. Mentees’ access to technology and privacy were the biggest challenges faced.

And then there was this, which was also not surprising: members of the focus groups used for this research said they really wanted an online community to help them learn from each other, give each other support, etc. Excerpt:

Mentor Support Groups

Across the board, participants agreed that an online support group for mentors would be incredibly helpful. Sharing ideas, discussing experiences, and connecting with other mentors about their own stress and anxiety would provide a much-needed outlet and resource during such unprecedented times. Some participants stated the OFGs felt helpful in this way:

Seeing everyone’s responses here has reminded me that we’re not alone in our work/struggles in being a mentor. (female, Illinois)

Others expressed that continuous collaboration with others could provide encouragement and strength, contributing to their own health as well as their effectiveness as mentors.

A support group where we can join together to share thoughts and experiences with one another. What if the group included mastermind sessions where, as a team, we examined our experiences to identify possible solutions and to be reminded that we are not alone? (female, Maryland)

I haven’t been shy about sharing how much I loathe thrown-together online mentoring programs during COVID: most that I’ve seen spent lots of time creating a web site that celebrates the program’s founders, but have scant information on how mentors will be trained, how success will be measured, what mentoring resources they are relying on to guide them, etc. – and nothing on safety. It’s nice to see research that backs up we (Susan Ellis and I) learned back in the 1990s, and continued to promote for decades.

If you want to dig far deeper into the factors for success in online mentoring programs, those establish meaningful relationships with mentees – not just feel-good quickly “cheer up” messaging for a few minutes ever week but are, rather, based on the proven practices of traditional, face-to-face mentoring initiatives – you will not find a more detailed guide anywhere than The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook. It’s available both as a traditional print publication and as a digital book.

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