The Perception of Mentors and Mentorship among Youth at Risk in the Russian Federation

CHILD WELFARE. 2020. Vol. 98. No. 1. P. 23–50.

Telitsyna A., Arakantseva T., Zavodilkina O.

This study examines the different perceptions about the role of mentors between youth who are at risk and institutionalized versus those who are family-based in the Russian Federation. The present study was conducted using a survey questionnaire with respondents between the ages of 15 and 23 in Moscow. Data analysis was conducted on 1,110 responses using Pearson’s chi-squared test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and t-test. Results indicate that youth who are institutionalized and at risk, more than their family-based peers, perceived the mentor to be their friend—a person with whom they can establish a close and trusting relationship. For respondents who were family-based, the mentor was perceived as a professional who taught them certain educational and vocational skills. The study also revealed the need for more attention to the psychosocial needs of youth at risk who are family-based. This has implications for the recruitment and training of mentors in the Russian Federation.

Keywords: наставничество, mentoring, дети-сироты, orphans, наставничество в социальной сфере