Staying close to home: Black adults share their experiences, motivations, and perspectives as organic mentors

This qualitative case study examined Black adults who engage in organic mentoring relationships, largely with Black youth, outside formal mentoring programs. While much of the youth mentoring literature centers on program-based models, less is known about the motivations and community contexts that shape informal mentoring relationships. This study addressed that gap by exploring the lived experiences of Black men and women organic mentors. Guided by McClelland’s Motivation Theory and Critical Mentoring, the study examined both the internal drivers and the social and cultural conditions that influence mentoring behavior. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 participants across four diverse Kansas counties - Sedgwick, Johnson, Shawnee, and Douglas. Participants were recruited through community-based networks. Thematic analysis identified six key findings. Findings show that organic mentoring is rooted in lived experience, cultural expectation, and a sense of responsibility to give back, pass it on. Relationships often develop through everyday interactions in familiar community settings - faith spaces, schools, barbershops, beauty salons, and sports leagues - and are sustained by trust, shared experience, and consistent presence. In many cases, these relationships deepen over time and take on family-like qualities. Participants also described organic mentoring as more flexible and aligned with their lifestyles and values than formal program structures. This study contributes to the youth mentoring literature by centering the experiences of Black organic mentors and showing how mentoring is embedded in community life, culture, and African American tradition. The findings suggest that efforts to support youth mentoring should recognize and build on the organic relationships already taking place in Black communities.

Author

• Williams, Van E.

Identifier

hdl:10057/56132

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:soar.wichita.edu:10057/56132