Keeping Hope Alive: Mentoring African American Male Social Workers and Students

Authors

  • Jerry Watson University of Mississippi

Abstract

In this article, I describe the forces that influenced my decision to become a social worker and mentor.  I detail the relationship between growing up as a “Y Kid” and my decision to become engaged in the life-long mentoring process.  While telling my story, I explore value-driven role modeling, the process of selecting mentees and mentors through attraction rather than promotion, and the concept of developmental networks.  Finally, I share the lessons learned from more than fifty years of involvement in the mentoring process.

Author Biography

Jerry Watson, University of Mississippi

About the Author: Jerry Watson, M.S.W., M.B.A, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Social Work, University of Mississippi (601-953-5515; jwatson2@olemiss.edu).

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Published

2013-12-22

How to Cite

Watson, J. (2013). Keeping Hope Alive: Mentoring African American Male Social Workers and Students. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 18(3), 20–26. Retrieved from https://reflectionsnarrativesofprofessionalhelping.org/index.php/Reflections/article/view/67