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Student helps student: what research says about mentors who walked the same road

With us, upper-year students explain things to younger ones, and many tutors started as newcomers themselves. That is no coincidence: mentoring research shows that relatable role models make the difference.

September 2026 · 6 min read

What mentoring does

DuBois and colleagues pooled 73 evaluations of youth mentoring programmes in one meta-analysis [1]. The average effects on school performance, behaviour and well-being are modest but consistently positive — and they hold across the board, from grades to self-image. More important than the average is what makes the effects larger: programmes that match mentors and young people on shared interests or background, mentors whose profession or education fits the young person's goals, and a clear structure with support for the mentors themselves.

Why relatability counts

A mentor who walked into the first year with a different mother tongue does not need to explain how that feels. That does not just save time; it changes the relationship. The young person sees someone who 'made it', and therefore a future that is within reach. Sleijpen and colleagues describe how young people with a trauma background draw strength from role models in their own environment and from knowing that others walked the same road [3]. Mentoring research calls this 'identity-based matching', and it is one of the few factors that noticeably increases the effect of mentoring [1].

School as a bridge

Pastoor followed unaccompanied young newcomers in Norway and describes school as the place where three transitions happen at once: processing what happened, building a new social network, and learning a new language and culture [2]. For these young people school is not just a place to learn but a 'psychosocial space'. Adults and peers who act as guides — explaining how things work here, without judgement — make those transitions more bearable. That guiding role is exactly what our tutors take on, alongside explaining the material.

Whoever explains learns most

In the review by Sleijpen and colleagues, young people themselves say they grow stronger by helping others [3]. That fits what every teacher knows: whoever explains something understands it better. But more happens. The student who explains experiences that their own knowledge and story have value for someone else. For young people who are often on the receiving end of help, that reversal matters: from 'someone who is helped' to 'someone who helps'. Our upper-year students helping the lower years are therefore not just extra hands; they get something essential back.

Regularity over intensity

The meta-analysis also shows what undermines mentoring: relationships that end early or have irregular contact can even turn out negative [1]. A mentor who disappears after two sessions confirms exactly what a young person should not learn. That is why we form fixed pairs, ask volunteers to stay for a season, and take fifteen minutes every Sunday as our starting point — rather than an hour once a month.

What we take from this

We deliberately pair students with tutors who walked into their first year with a different mother tongue. We have upper-year students explain to the lower years as a matter of course, with a tutor present. And we are building an alumni network so former students can come back as mentors: they are the most relatable role models there are.

References

  1. [1]DuBois, D. L., Portillo, N., Rhodes, J. E., Silverthorn, N. & Valentine, J. C. (2011). How effective are mentoring programs for youth? A systematic assessment of the evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 12(2), 57–91. doi.org/10.1177/1529100611414806
  2. [2]Pastoor, L. de W. (2015). The mediational role of schools in supporting psychosocial transitions among unaccompanied young refugees upon resettlement in Norway. International Journal of Educational Development, 41, 245–254. doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2014.10.009
  3. [3]Sleijpen, M., Boeije, H. R., Kleber, R. J. & Mooren, T. (2016). Between power and powerlessness: a meta-ethnography of sources of resilience in young refugees. Ethnicity & Health, 21(2), 158–180. doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2015.1044946

These articles are editorial summaries of published research, written by the foundation. Talent East Academy is not a care provider and gives no medical or psychological advice. If you are worried about a young person, contact a GP or the school.