The Mentor's Role: Exploring mentorship in a working-class neighbourhood's after-school program

Public schools in Ontario may be inadequate to deal with the needs of children and youth from working-class families, especially those who do not have available caretakers to guide them through the educational system or resources that help them master literacy and numeracy skills they may need in academic settings or in the workforce. After-school programs (and their staff) can fill in the gaps. This study looked at the traits of effective mentorship as depicted by youth enrolled in and adults working at an after-school program in low-income areas in the Niagara region. The study was completed in Ontario, a multicultural and diversely populated province, which illuminated the importance of incorporating strategies that are relevant to youth’s respective upbringings. Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of capital is employed to examine how individuals are expected to contribute to society. Supplementing this view, I also draw on Dr. Paulo Freire. His theory of critical pedagogy, which was introduced in the 1970s, is employed because it critically examines the scope of mainstream education. Teens who attended Space for Teens and staff (mentors) from the Boys and Girls Club in St. Catharines were interviewed and shared their views on mentorship in the context of their personal experiences. The teens saw mentors as caring friends who accepted them for who they are and who willingly engaged with them. The staff viewed mentorship as a process in which knowledge is shared to make mentees’ lives better. Mentors, overall, are seen to help youth cultivate valuable forms of social capital. The implication of my study is that although mentors should be clear on who they are as authority figures in the room, they are encouraged to present themselves as friends who actively care about the mentees (teens) they work with