Psychology Night Research Posters and Presentations
 

Faculty Sponsor, if applicable

The Cities Project: A Youth Mentoring Program

Project Abstract

The Cities Mentor Project is a research study developed to seek information concerning inner-city youth. The program aims to recognize stressful experiences youths encounter and how those experiences affect their physical and mental health and academics. The program introduces inner-city urban youth from CPS with stress management skills to combat community violence and other stressors common among their communities. The program serves elementary school students from Englewood, a predominantly African American, low-income neighborhood in the south of the city, familiar to poverty and community violence. Poverty and community violence have been linked to greater externalizing behaviors such as aggression and internalizing behaviors like depression (Romero et al. 2015; Todman et al., 2012). As mentors, we teach mentees coping mechanisms that they can utilize in various situations, like learning to form healthy relationships to utilizing art as a stress reliever. This is taught using the SPARCS method as students work in groups and are encouraged to share their experiences. Moreover, the community support team takes students to protective settings, such as their local library for a program called YOUMedia and to St. Sabina where several activities are offered, like basketball. Our ultimate role is to provide support for our mentees.

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Presentation Year

May 2016

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