I Get by With a Little Help From My Friends: The Impact of a Gender-Tailored Group Mentoring Program on Peer Relationships

Adolescents face many difficulties when transitioning to high school, particularly when it comes to their social circles and maintaining friendships. As these challenges can have long-term consequences, providing support to youth during this period is essential. The YWCA Youth Education Programs (YEP) in Vancouver, BC offer group-based, after-school mentoring programs for 7 th grade students to help them navigate the transition to high school. Survey data from 668 students (233 treatment group and 435 control group) were used to examine the impacts of the YEP on friend support. Multilevel regression models show that the YEP is effective at improving perceptions of friend support in the long term. More research is needed to explore potential gender differences in the experience of supportive friendships after youth transition to high school, as well as the impact of group-based mentoring for youth transitioning to the high school environment.