How to design and implement a mentoring program for disadvantaged children

Dr. Dave PearsonConsultant Clinical Psychologist

1. identify the children

2. identify why they need a mentor

3. identify your mentors

4. identify what skills they need

Disadvantaged children often have problems

with life skills and also other organic and

psychological problems

The reason that disadvantaged children have these problems is

because they have experienced adversity

Adversity

can include:• Abuse• Abandonment•War experiences• Extreme poverty• Poor care• Poor nutrition

• Children in life skills programmes will have experienced many of these

All of these things can cause failure to thrive

or stunting

(but poor nutrition is one of the most prominent)

from Pearson & Kennedy, The Dream Mentoring Manual (2011)

• UNICEF (2009) - 160 million children live below the poverty line

• HUNGaMa Survey (2009) - estimated up to 59% stunted, 42% underweight (<5yrs) *

• MOSPI (2012) - 48% stunted, 20% wasted, 42% underweight (<5yrs)**

• NFHS-3 (2007-) - 45% stunted, 23% wasted, 40% underweight (<3yrs)***

(stunted – height for age, wasted – weight for height, underweight – weight for age)

* Naandi Foundation

** Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation – Govt of India

***National Ministry of Health and Family Welfare – Govt of India

from - Kennedy, Pearson, Brett-Taylor & Talreja, (2014)

Facts about failure to thrive or stunting:

• Lower cognitive skills and information processing• Relationship problems• Attachment problems• Maturity problems• Ability problems• High anxiety levels• Brain development/pathology issues• Generally we would call these life skills problems

see: Pearson & Kennedy (2012), Kennedy Kennerley & Pearson (2013)

More facts about failure to thrive or

stunting:• Cognitive problems can be minimised or even recovered from

• Relationship problems can also be minimised or recovered from

• Maturity problems can be minimised or recovered from

• high anxiety levels can be lowered

• Or in other words - these life skill problems can improve

see: Dissociation - Kennedy, Kennerley & Pearson (2013) - Routledge

A mentor will need some skills to be able to help a young person to minimise or recover from these problems1. understand what the problems are

(developmental, psychological and organic)2. change the perceptions of the mentor3. understand what the role of a mentor is4. listening skills5. acceptance skills6. change skills

An outline of the Dream Mentoring Program training

The Dream Mentoring Program course Manual is available from Dream A Dream in printed form

The Trainers Manual is also available from Dream A Dream in printed form

Both manuals can be provided electronically from Dave or Fiona (davenfi2000@yahoo.com) if you are happy to print them yourselves