There is ample evidence that mentoring programs have the potential to contribute to positive outcomes for at-risk youth across a variety of demographic groups (e.g., age, gender, race/ethnicity) and program approaches, including cross-age peer, one-to-one, group, and community-based.

Crime Solutions has also rated several specific mentoring programs aimed at preventing delinquency or reducing recidivism for those with justice system involvement as “promising” or “effective.” These include, for example, Reading for Life, a group mentoring program that uses works of literature to facilitate moral development and character education as an alternative to court prosecution for juveniles who have been adjudicated for their first or second time.

Research indicates that young people who are surrounded by a variety of opportunities for positive encounters engage in less risky behavior and ultimately show evidence of higher rates of successful transitions into adulthood. Youth development programs are one avenue to ensure that young people have access to adequate positive opportunities. The available evidence suggests that youth development programs can prevent a variety of high-risk behaviors among young people and improve social and emotional outcomes.

Another study on the first 5 years of a longitudinal evaluation of local youth development programs looked at how positive influences in the lives of youth help protect against problematic behaviors. The study sample included approximately 4,000 youth, from nearly all 50 states, with various levels of involvement and concluded that youth consistently engaged in skills development programs were found to be at much lower risk of having personal, social, and behavioral problems than other youth.