Cross-age peer mentoring is a community-based model that utilizes peer relationships in order to promote positive youth development. In order to maintain a greater degree of power imbalance than typical of a friendship there is a minimum of a 2 year age difference between the mentor and mentee, this allows the older youth to help promote the younger youth’s development (Karcher, 2005). The current study evaluates the implementation of a cross-age peer mentoring program, with a specific focus on its ability to enhance social well-being and development of literacy skills.
