Building on previous work examining the three central theoretical models driving the youth mentoring literature, the present paper presents an updated conceptual framework on how youth mentoring can equitably support health outcomes for young people, particularly minoritized or otherwise marginalized youth. Youth mentoring has been demonstrated to support positive health outcomes (e.g., mental health, well-being) for all young people, and has a growing literature base to match the enthusiasm in findings. The core conceptual models, however, had not been updated for nearly 20 years. This paper starts with the guiding values behind the updated model, including centering the pursuit of social justice, a recognition of structural oppression, and utilizing key modern theoretical bases (healing-centered engagement, a strengths-based approach, and community cultural wealth). Ultimately, this paper presents an updated conceptual model, outlining key aspects needed to support mental health for minoritized young people through youth mentoring, including building a foundational relationship, key mechanisms of mentoring, reciprocal benefits, and context-specific support.

Youth mentoring as a field of study has grown immensely in recent years, with hundreds of peer-reviewed research articles on the subject. A key driver of this interest is the demonstrated ability of youth mentoring to support positive mental health for minoritized youth. Three central theoretical models, published nearly twenty years ago, drive the majority of this body of research: the systemic model, the relational model, and the mechanisms of mentoring model. The present paper examines these theoretical models through conversation with their authors and presents their reflections and insights, the contexts in which these models were originally written, and the similarities and differences among them. By understanding the origins of these three influential theoretical models, what they center, and what they do not center, we can begin to consider the ways in which the body of work on youth mentoring is framed. Ultimately, these analyses and reflections outline future directions for the field and a forthcoming updated conceptual model of youth mentoring that centers issues of equity and social justice.