Basic theory and policy validation of youth mentoring program

Many mentorship programmes pair more experienced elders with trainees, enabling experienced practitioners to pass knowledge down to younger generations. Professor Kayoko Watanabe, Aichi-Shukutoku University, Japan, believes in the importance of mentoring programmes and has been investigating mentoring programmes. The idea of mentoring programmes has yet to gain traction in Japan and Watanabe helped implement and continues to play a role in improving the Hiroshima City Youth Support Mentor System, which was launched in 2004 by the Board of Education in Hiroshima City and connects school-aged children with volunteers who act as mentors. Watanabe believes the theory and practice of mentoring programmes are interconnected, working together in a feedback loop to improve mentoring programmes. She has been studying the current status and core issues surrounding the mentoring movement in the US, UK, Germany, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and uses a number of theories in her work, including lifelong development, social capital and social investment. Watanabe has evaluated the mentoring programmes, considering the viewpoints of mentors, mentees and parents of mentees and found a clear recognition of the benefits of the programme for all stakeholders.