Risk, support, and reasons for wanting a mentor: Comparing parents of youth in community versus school-based matches

We explored differences between parents/guardians of youth participating in community- (CBM) versus school-based (SBM) mentoring programs sponsored by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBS-Canada). Assessed were demographic differences as well as perceptions of risk, support, and reasons for wanting a mentor. Participating were 131 parents of youth in CBM (n = 79) or SBM (n = 52) matches recruited with assistance from BBBS agencies. All data were gathered via an online survey. Compared to SBM parents, parents of youth in CBM matches were less likely to be married and were living in homes with fewer adults and fewer children. However, CBM and SBM parents did not differ on ratings of family risk or social support. For CBM parents, a top reason for wanting a mentor was the desire for children to have new experiences; for SBM parents, top reasons included seeking academic support for children and because one of their children had a physical disability or mental illness. CBM and SBM parents in this study were more similar than distinct, but differences that emerged have potential implications for agencies' efforts to involve parents in youth mentoring programs. •This is the first study to compare parents of youth in BBBS community-based and school-based mentoring matches.•We found no evidence that school-based mentoring programs can better reach high risk families than community-based mentoring programs.•In fact, community-based mentoring parents were less likely to be married and to be the sole caregiver in the home.•The findings argue strongly for greater delineation of the differences in these two program types.