MARC H - 2018 - Evaluation of the YMI Cornerstone Mentoring Program - Role in Supporting Engagement in School and Learning

Oct 15, 2026

The New York City Young Men’s Initiative (YMI) Cornerstone Mentoring Program was launched in January 2012 to reduce disparities in socioeconomic outcomes for young Black and Latino men. This evaluation examines mentoring approaches used in Cornerstone Community Centers, focusing on academic success mechanisms and strategies to engage mentees. The program targets youth in grades 5 through 9, offers structured weekly mentoring during the school year and sessions in summer, and uses small-group experiences to improve school perspectives, behavior, and attitudes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages54

Reading Time2 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Profile of YMI Cornerstone Mentoring Participants

MARC H 2018 EVALUAT ION OF THE YMI CORNERSTONE MENTORING PROGRAM Role in Supporting Engagement in School and Learning Christina A. Russell Yavette Francis Prepared for: Department of Youth and Community Development Mayor's Office for Economic Opportunity New York, NY 1120 20th Street NW Suite 200N Washington, DC 20036 [policystudies.com](policystudies.com)[ ](policystudies.com)[202.939.9780](202.939.9780) Executive Summary The New York City Young Men’s Initiative (YMI) is a cross-agency initiative that aims to address the disparities in socioeconomic outcomes between young Black and Latino men and their peers. In support of this vision, the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) launched a mentoring program in its Cornerstone Community Centers in January 2012. Cornerstone Community Centers, operated by nonprofit provider organizations, are located in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) facilities throughout the city. Centers offer a range of programming to youth and adults, including afterschool programming that provides homework assistance as well as recreational and enrichment activities. The YMI Cornerstone Mentoring Program, initiated in 25 Cornerstone centers, aims to support youth in fifth through ninth grade in key life and educational transitions as they progress into middle and highschool. Compared to the traditional afterschool programming at Cornerstone centers, mentoring programs immerse participants in a richer, small-group experience. Each Cornerstone center receives $32,000 in YMI funding to serve 12 mentees. Mentors are recruited from many arenas, including through the community, through local colleges, and through an online volunteer recruitment site operated by NYC Service. Many mentors are Black and Latino men with some connection to the Cornerstone community: some are staff members in nearby schools or housing facilities, while others are adults who grew up in the surrounding neighborhoods and who are now working professionals. The mentoring program is overseen by a mentor coordinator in each center, with a ratio of one mentor to four youth, although the structure of the group mentoring format varies by center. Centers have flexibility to determine the mentoring schedule and programming, but are expected to offer at least one and a half hours of mentoring each week during the school year and two mentoring sessions over the summer. Mentoring activities typically include group discussions, sports, field trips, meals, academic support, and community service projects. In 2014-15, DYCD and the Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity (NYC Opportunity), which oversees the implementation, performance monitoring, and evaluation of YMI programs, asked Policy Studies Associates (PSA) to conduct a study of the approaches used in the YMI Cornerstone Mentoring Program to support mentees’ academic success and of the mechanisms used to engage mentees in this process. It is important to note that YMI Cornerstone Mentoring Programs are not explicitly identified as academic support programs. Rather, mentoring programs aim to shift mentees’ perspectives on school, their behavior in school, and attitudes toward teachers and peers so that they come to school ready to learn. Profile of YMI Cornerstone Mentoring Participants The YMI Cornerstone Mentoring Program is designed to support youth in grades 5 through 9. Reflecting the overarching goals of the citywide YMI initiative, recruitment of mentees focuses on young men of color, although young women are also eligible for the program. Although some Cornerstone centers struggled with meeting enrollment goals for the mentoring program, programs generally succeeded in reaching the targeted group of mentees. 􀂄 Program enrollment. The number of programs that successfully met their enrollment target of 12 mentees increased over the first four years of the YMI Cornerstone Mentoring Program, ranging from eight of 25 program

FAQs

What is the purpose of the YMI Cornerstone Mentoring Program?

It supports youth in grades 5 through 9 through mentoring intended to improve school readiness to learn by shifting mentees’ perspectives, behavior, and attitudes toward school, teachers, and peers.

How is the mentoring program structured in Cornerstone centers?

Mentoring is delivered in small groups with flexibility by center, expected to provide at least 1.5 hours weekly during the school year and two mentoring sessions over the summer, typically including discussions, sports, field trips, meals, academic support, and community service.

What do the participant demographics and eligibility data show?

Enrollment generally reached the target over time, with youth predominantly African-American and Hispanic/Latino, eligibility commonly linked to free or reduced-price lunch, and a substantial portion qualifying for special education services. Educational records indicate many participants scored below proficiency in ELA and mathematics and had high chronic absenteeism rates.

Oct 15, 2026

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