"I had him in my head reminding me to persist ": The Role of Mentoring in Shaping Immigrant Youth Expectations

Abstract

This study presents data aiming to analyse the educational and occupational expectations of low-status immigrant students who had participated in a community-based mentoring program in the past. In order to carry out a longitudinal case study follow-up of the mentees, immigrant adolescents were surveyed before and after they participated in the program and again four years later. Data from in-depth interviews show how mentee’s expectations were shaped by the role of the mentor or other significant adults. The results suggest the quality of the relationship, the advocating role played by mentors as institutional agents, how mentors provided social capital skills to mentees, and the way mentors dealt with the language of the new context of reception as key features for mentees’ empowerment.