Educationally-Based, Culturally-Sensitive, Theory-Driven Mentorship Intervention with At-risk Native American Youth in South Dakota: A Narrative Review

Native American youth struggle with many social issues such as poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, and dropping out of high school, as a result of historical trauma and the current conditions on the reservation. This narrative review found that existing mentorship programs lack adequate research, particularly with Native American youth and youth from rural settings, yet the limited research does demonstrate potential promise. Available research findings suggest that mentorship programs are supporting at-risk youth generally, particularly with increasing their self-worth as well as having educational benefit for the youth. Two theoretical frameworks, strengths perspective and social learning theory, have been determined to offer support to increase the value of mentorship programs for Native American youth. This narrative review concludes that by understanding the social issues and the impact of historical trauma as well as understanding the use of applied theories, strong programming, and helpful factors or considerations, a culturally-sensitive, educationally-based mentorship intervention has potential to support at-risk Native American youth feel motivated to move forward with their educational futures.