Tomberg, Kathleen A. (2013). Ready for Success: A Profile of YouthBuild Mentoring Participants. New York, NY: Research and Evaluation Center, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.

The YouthBuild USA National Mentoring Alliance program (“YouthBuild Mentoring”) seeks to engage students with responsible, supportive, committed adult volunteers in order to help young people achieve success in education, employment, and social relationships. By matching students with adult mentors for a minimum of 15 months, YouthBuild Mentoring helps these youth form strong emotional bonds and continuing relationships that will ideally last for years beyond the end of the program. YouthBuild USA partnered with the Research and Evaluation Center of John Jay College of Criminal Justice to assess the attitudes of YouthBuild Mentoring participants on a variety of topics, including self-image, self-efficacy, perceptions of social support, family function, attitudes towards society, perceptions of YouthBuild, and education goals. The students reported a high sense of self-efficacy, high self-confidence, and a belief that they have the ability to make a positive impact on their communities.