MentorHub’s secure, in-app chat feature enables program staff to monitor all text exchanges between mentors and mentees,  adding an important layer of security and oversight. The integration of machine learning and text mining techniques enables rapid screening for key words and a rich source of data for research and training.  This research will enable us to identify how communication patterns change in response to increases in youth’s risk, such as shifts from depression to suicidal ideation.

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  • 5 ways to maintain community while social distancing April 8, 2020
    By Eric Stann, Futurity It’s possible to maintain community while social distancing to contain the spread of COVID-19, according to a professor of health psychology. In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 throughout the US, thousands of in-person gatherings are now canceled, including sporting events, parades, concerts, and church services. For many, the […]
    Karina DeAndrade
  • Elements of effective texting?: Here’s six tips September 21, 2017
    In a recent New Yorker article, writer Alice Gregory describes Crisis Text Line, a new service for youth who are in need of support. The post Elements of effective texting?: Here’s six tips first appeared on The Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring.
    Jean Rhodes
  • Avoiding the electronic communication trap for teens: An opportunity for mentors June 30, 2016
    Nesi, J., Widman, L., Choukas-Bradley, S., & Prinstein, M.J. (2016). Technology-based communication and the development of interpersonal competencies within adolescent romantic relationships: A preliminary investigation, Journal of Research on Adolescence Journal of Research on Adolescence. doi:10.1111/jora.12274 Summarized by Benjamin Alford Introduction: With the convenience and growth of technology in the lives of individuals around the […]
    Justin Preston
  • My book is not anti-technology. It’s pro-conversation: A conversation with Sherry Turkle October 28, 2015
    By Ariana Huffington, Huffington PostSherry Turkle is Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT, and her new book Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age cements her status as one of our pre-eminent thinkers on the ways technology impacts on our lives. In answer to my questions, she […]
    Jean Rhodes
  • Can “deep” relationships form in e-mentoring programs? June 25, 2015
    by Kevin O’Neill – Associate Professor, Education and Technology, Simon Fraser University Throughout my career, I have been developing, running, and studying a series of small school-based e-mentoring programs (each generally serving less than 100 youth) over the years. I began this work around 1993, and from the beginning my inclination was that face-to-face mentoring would be preferable wherever it was […]
    Jean Rhodes
  • Texting too Much? Implications of Text Messaging for Adolescent Well-Being May 18, 2015
    By Tara Kuther, Society for Research on Adolescence Adolescents rely on text messaging to communicate with their friends more than any other form of contact, including face-to-face interaction. Most research to date on text messaging has relied on self-report surveys.  Underwood and colleagues conducted a naturalistic study of text messaging in 172 14-year old adolescents […]
    Jean Rhodes
  • Nudging through text messages: An evidence-based role for mentors January 19, 2015
    by Jean Rhodes As the parent of a high school junior, I can’t help but worry about the impending college application process. I try to appear relaxed and good natured during the occasional moments that my son checks in with me, yet my mind is racing. “Yeah,” I casually agree, “Bradley Cooper really should win best actor.” […]
    Jean Rhodes
  • Adolescents’ Digital Media Use and Friendships December 10, 2013
    Davis, K. (2012). Friendship 2.0: Adolescents’ experiences of belonging and self-disclosure online. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 1527-1536. Summarized by UMB clinical psychology doctoral student, Stella Kanchewa, M.A. Introduction: As adolescents strive for autonomy away from parents/guardians, they turn to peer relationships in order to meet social needs, and to establish an integrated sense of self […]
    Jean Rhodes