Ms. Meggan Franks
Dr. David May
Making an Impact SO 4153 - MENTORING
FOR AT-RISK YOUTHS
Instructors: Ms. Meggan Franks & Dr. David May | Community Partner: Armstrong Middle School Written by Evan Crawford
Mentoring for At-Risk Youths, cross-listed as
research for the Social Science Research Center
a sociology and criminology course, trains
and is an author/coauthor of several books and
students to mentor at-risk juveniles in order to
journal articles.
facilitate their successful transition to productive community roles. Ms. Meggan Franks and
“We place upperclassmen in one-on-one men-
Dr. David May teach the course.
toring relationships with 6th- through 8th-graders at Armstrong Middle School. These are
“We taught a mentor-training class at the Ma-
students who are typically considered high risk,
roon Volunteer Center,” Franks explains. “Every
which means they are underperforming in their
semester, we would get students who were
academics. They’re not connecting with their
interested in mentoring and tutoring in the com-
peers. Maybe they’re at a higher risk of dropping
munity, and they would take a 4½-hour training
out, being more absent than other students, and
course about how to be a successful mentor.”
so they’re at a greater disadvantage than other students.”
“Dr. David May was a speaker for that event, and he came to us one semester and said, ‘You
Franks and May place the at-risk junior-high
know, I used to teach a class at a school before
students with high-achieving MSU students. The
I came to Mississippi State that taught students
pairing of the students allows for one-on-one
how to be mentors.’ After talking about it, we
relationships outside of school.
decided to try it here, and that’s how we set this up,” Franks continued.
“They have permission to pick them up from school and take them somewhere in the com-
10
Franks and May work together because the
munity. They might go out to eat together or get
course is in addition to their regular jobs at
ice cream. There’s a lot more of an opportunity
Mississippi State, and it is more involved than
to establish a close relationship when you focus
other college classes. Franks is the Assistant
outside of that school setting. We wanted this
Director of the Office of Student Leadership and
model to be as productive as possible. We feel
Community Engagement, where she oversees
we can accomplish the most this way in this
the Maroon Volunteer Center, while May does
short period of time,” Franks said.