Mentoring Gender Gap: Minnesota Needs More Male Mentors

MINNEAPOLIS, April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- More than $7.5 million is the total value of time given by mentors in Minnesota, yet 250,000 youth throughout the state need a mentor. The most common reason for youth to be on a mentoring program waiting list is the lack of available mentors, according to a new "State of Mentoring" survey of 74 mentoring programs in Minnesota. The study, commissioned by the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota, found that twice as many females mentor than males. Subsequently, 29 percent of male youth wait one year or more before being matched with a mentor, compared to only 5 percent of female youth.

"We are proud there are 41,000 mentors and nearly 200,000 youth being mentored across the state," said Joellen Gonder-Spacek, executive director of Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota. "However, there is a great need in our state for more adults, men in particular, to serve as mentors to the youth in our communities."

Key findings from the "State of Mentoring" study:

• Nearly nine out of 10 mentoring matches either meet or exceed the program's goal for the minimum length of commitment. The most common commitment is 9-12 months.
• More than 80 percent of matches meet or exceed the required meeting frequency, with over half of mentoring meetings occurring weekly.
• Mentoring programs for middle school-aged children are most common, followed by high school-aged programs.
• Teachers are the top referral source for mentoring programs.
• With approximately 300 mentoring programs in Minnesota, 62 percent serve the Twin Cities, 36 percent serve Greater Minnesota and less than two percent serve residents statewide.

For a copy of the "State of Mentoring" study, go to www.mpmn.org.

Study Background
Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota (MPM) conducted the "State of Mentoring in Minnesota" survey in summer 2012, capturing program data from 2011. Seventy-four programs responded to the survey, sharing information about their organizational and program structure, participants and evaluations. Currently, 188 mentoring programs in Minnesota are registered with MPM.

About Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota
MPM formed in 1994 as a community initiative to promote mentoring for Minnesota youth. MPM is the driving force in the Minnesota mentoring movement and leads the state in building and sustaining quality mentoring for every child. 

SOURCE Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota