Yes, on average, and more when it is done well. Large reviews of youth mentoring programs find modest but real gains in school, behavior and wellbeing, with bigger effects when mentors meet consistently, give useful guidance and stay long enough. Blackburn Mentoring builds those factors into every plan, by video nationwide and in person in Los Angeles.
Key facts
- Three large research reviews, of 55, 73 and 70 program evaluations, all found that mentoring helps young people on average.
- The average effect is small to moderate. Mentoring is a real help, not a cure.
- Relationships that last a year or longer show the most improvement. Very short ones can do harm.
- Good guidance, matching on shared interests and trained mentors are linked to stronger results.
- Most studies looked at volunteer programs for children around age 12. Paid one-on-one mentoring for older teens and young adults has been studied much less.
What is the short answer?
Mentoring works, but how well it works depends on how it is run. The research does not say that any adult meeting with any young person will change outcomes. It says that structured mentoring, with a steady relationship and clear goals, tends to move young people in a better direction than they would go on their own.
That is a useful answer for families. It means the question to ask is not “does mentoring work?” but “is this mentoring set up the way the research says it should be?”
What did the big research reviews find?
Researchers have pooled the results of many separate mentoring studies to see the overall picture. Three reviews are cited most often.
DuBois and colleagues, 2002
This review in the American Journal of Community Psychology (2002) looked at 55 evaluations of youth mentoring programs. It found a modest benefit for the average young person. Effects were larger when programs used proven practices and when a strong relationship formed between mentor and mentee. The authors also warned that poorly run programs could set back young people who were already struggling.
DuBois and colleagues, 2011
This larger review, published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest (2011), covered 73 evaluations from 1999 to 2010. Mentored young people gained in behavioral, social, emotional and academic areas, often in several at once. The average effect at the end of programs was 0.21, which researchers call small. A common pattern was that mentored youth improved while similar youth without mentors slipped. Benefits were larger when mentors and mentees were matched on shared interests and when mentors gave real guidance and advocated for the young person.
Raposa and colleagues, 2019
This review in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence (2019) pooled 70 studies of one-on-one youth mentoring with 25,286 young people. It found a statistically significant effect across outcomes and called the impact modest as programs are currently run. Larger effects were linked to mentors with a background in a helping profession.
What does “small to moderate” mean in plain language?
An effect of about 0.2 means mentored young people did somewhat better than similar young people without mentors, on average. Some improved a lot, some not at all. The honest takeaway is that mentoring tilts the odds. It does not guarantee a result.
What makes mentoring work better?
Across the reviews, the same few factors keep showing up.
- Relationship length. A study of 1,138 young people in a large national program found that relationships lasting a year or longer produced the most improvements, and very short relationships were linked to declines (Grossman and Rhodes, American Journal of Community Psychology, 2002).
- Consistency. Regular meetings build the trust that the reviews link to stronger effects. Skipped weeks weaken it.
- Real guidance and goals. Mentors who help with concrete problems and speak up for the young person get better results than mentors who only spend time together.
- Good matching. Shared interests help a pair find things to work on together and keep showing up.
- Skilled, supported mentors. Screening and training are among the practices the 2011 authors urged programs to follow.
What does the research say less about?
Most studies in these reviews looked at volunteer programs serving children, with an average age near 12. Fewer studies look at paid one-on-one mentoring for older teens, college students or young adults in their twenties. We do not know of a large controlled trial of that model.
So we do not claim our results match any study. What we can say is that we built our approach around the factors the research links to better outcomes. The 2011 authors also noted that evidence is thin for some long-term outcomes, such as finishing school or later substance use, and that it is not clear how long gains last after a program ends.
How does Blackburn Mentoring build these factors in?
| What research links to better results | How we put it into practice |
|---|---|
| Consistent meetings | Sessions on a set schedule, with early morning, evening and weekend times so they are easy to keep |
| Real guidance and goals | Written goals, a plan for each week and follow-up by text or phone between sessions |
| Good matching | A short assessment first, then a match with a mentor within 2 business days based on goals, age, schedule and fit |
| Supported mentors | Our team reviews every assessment personally and changes the match if the fit is not right |
| Enough time | Plans are reviewed with the family, and sessions step down as the young person runs more of their own week |
We work with teens 13 and older, college students, young adults and adults. Sessions happen by video anywhere in the United States and in person in Los Angeles. Mentors are not licensed clinicians, and mentoring does not replace therapy or medical care. Our guide on how long mentoring takes to work sets out a realistic timeline.
Common questions
How long before mentoring shows results?
Small wins often show up within the first month or two, such as assignments turned in or a steadier routine. The research points to relationships of a year or longer for the largest gains. Plan to review progress with the mentor at about three months.
Does mentoring work for teenagers who do not want it?
It can, but buy-in matters. Teens engage faster when they help choose their goals and feel the mentor is on their side rather than reporting on them. A free intro call lets a reluctant teen ask questions before agreeing to anything.
Is paid mentoring more effective than volunteer mentoring?
No study we know of compares the two head to head. The 2019 review found larger effects when mentors had a helping profession background, and the 2011 review stressed training and support. Paid programs can more easily offer those, but the quality of the program matters more than the label.
What makes a mentoring relationship fail?
The common causes are relationships that end too soon, missed meetings, goals set by parents that the young person does not share, and a poor match that nobody addresses. A good program checks the fit early and changes the mentor if needed.
Can mentoring replace therapy?
No. Mentoring helps with plans, habits and follow-through. Anxiety, depression or other conditions call for a licensed clinician, and mentoring can run alongside that care. If anyone is in crisis, call or text 988.
Related guides: how long mentoring takes to work, whether virtual mentoring is effective and how mentoring works.
Get started
If you want to see whether mentoring fits your teen, college student or young adult, start with the five-minute assessment at blackburnmentoring.com/get-started or call (888) 305-5422. The intro call is free, and we discuss the plan and cost after the assessment.
Last reviewed: October 2026.
Free, by video, 20 minutes, with a member of our team. Weekdays 9 to 5 Pacific.