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Strengthen the Evidence for Maternal and Child Health Programs

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Evidence Tools
MCHbest. Adult Mentor.

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Strategy. Community Centers

Approach. Support Community centers as they provide adult mentors for adolescents.

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Overview. Community centers are public venues where community members gather to socialize, participate in recreational or educational activities, learn, and/or seek counseling or support services. Community centers house a variety of programs and can be open to everyone in a community or only to a particular group, such as seniors or youth. Some community centers emphasize technology access (e.g., the internet and computer access) or recreational programs. Community centers can be run by the government, by local non-profit organizations, or by faith-based groups.

Community technology centers appear to support positive youth development and strong peer-to-peer relationships, as well as provide space for natural mentoring relationships with adults, especially among youth in families with low incomes.[10, 11] Available evidence indicates that residents who complete more activities at a community technology center are more likely to feel connected to others and to their wider community than residents who complete fewer activities.[5]

Evidence. Expert Opinion. Strategies with this rating are recommended by credible, impartial experts...

Access the peer-reviewed evidence through the MCH Digital Library or related evidence source.

Outcome Components. This strategy has shown to have impact on the following outcomes (Read more about these categories):

  • Health and Health Behaviors/Behavior Change. This strategy improves individuals' physical and mental health and their adoption of healthy behaviors (e.g., healthy eating, physical activity).
  • Utilization. This strategy improves the extent to which individuals and communities use available healthcare services.
  • Mental Health. This strategy promotes emotional, psychological, and social well-being of individuals and communities.

Detailed Outcomes. For specific outcomes related to each study supporting this strategy, access the peer-reviewed evidence and read the Intervention Results for each study.

Intervention Type. Community Organizing (Read more about intervention types and levels as defined by the Public Health Intervention Wheel).

Intervention Level. Community-Focused

Examples from the Field. There are currently no ESMs that use this strategy. Search similar intervention components in the ESM database.

Sample ESMs. Here are sample ESMs to use as models for your own measures using the RBA framework (see The Role of Title V in Adapting Strategies).

Quadrant 1:
Measuring Quantity of Effort (“What/how much did we do?”)

  • Number of adult mentors recruited, screened, and trained to work with adolescents in community center-based mentoring programs. (Shows the capacity and readiness of the mentor pool) Number of adolescents enrolled in community center-based mentoring programs. (Indicates the engagement and participation of the population served)

Quadrant 2:
Measuring Quality of Effort (“How well did we do it?”)

  • Percent of adult mentors in community centers who complete initial and ongoing training to effectively support adolescents. (Shows the investment in mentor development and quality assurance) Percent of adolescents in community center-based mentoring programs who report feeling satisfied and engaged with their mentoring experience. (Indicates the youth-centeredness and responsiveness of the approach from the perspective of the mentees)

Quadrant 3:
Measuring Quantity of Effect (“Is anyone better off?”)

  • Number of adolescents in community centers with adult mentors who demonstrate improved social-emotional skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and conflict resolution. (Shows the approach's impact on building critical life skills) Number of adolescents in community centers with adult mentors who engage in fewer risky behaviors and make healthier life choices compared to adolescents without mentors. (Indicates the approach's impact on preventing negative outcomes and promoting positive behavior change) Number of adolescents in community centers with adult mentors who graduate from high school and pursue higher education or vocational training. (Shows the approach's long-term impact on educational attainment and career readiness) Number of community centers that report increased youth leadership, civic engagement, and volunteerism as a result of their adolescent mentoring programs. (Indicates the approach's spillover effects on building an environment of youth support and community contribution)

Quadrant 4:
Measuring Quality of Effect (“How are they better off?”)

  • Percent of adolescents in community centers with adult mentors who demonstrate improved social-emotional skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and conflict resolution. (Shows the approach's impact on building critical life skills) Percent of adolescents in community centers with adult mentors who engage in fewer risky behaviors and make healthier life choices compared to adolescents without mentors. (Indicates the approach's impact on preventing negative outcomes and promoting positive behavior change) Percent of adolescents in community centers with adult mentors who report increased sense of belonging, social capital, and connection to their community. (Shows the approach's effect on promoting positive social integration and reducing isolation) Percent of adolescents in community centers with adult mentors who graduate from high school and pursue higher education or vocational training. (Shows the approach's long-term impact on educational attainment and career readiness)

Note. When looking at your ESMs, SPMs, or other strategies:

  1. Move from measuring quantity to quality.
  2. Move from measuring effort to effect.
  3. Quadrant 1 strategies should be used sparingly, when no other data exists.
  4. The most effective measurement combines strategies in all levels, with most in Quadrants 2 and 4.

Learn More. Read how to create stronger ESMs and how to measure ESM impact more meaningfully through Results-Based Accountability.

References

1 London 2010 - London RA, Pastor M, Servon LJ, Rosner R, Wallace A. The role of community technology centers in youth skill-building and empowerment. Youth & Society. 2010;42(2):199-228.

2 Denner 2023 - Denner J, Torres D. How natural mentoring is used by Latinx youth at a community technology center. Journal of Latinos and Education. 2023;22(1):339-356.

3 Grzeslo 2019 - Grzeslo J. Building communities, bridging divides: Community technology centers and social capital. The Journal of Community Informatics. 2019:78-97.

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U02MC31613, MCH Advanced Education Policy, $3.5 M. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.