%0 Journal Article
%T Out-of-School Mentorship and Positive Youth Development among Secondary Students in Kibra, Nairobi, Kenya
%A Catherine Wanjiru Naliaka Wafula
%A Teresia Wamuyu
%A Peter Koome
%J Open Access Library Journal
%V 12
%N 11
%P 1-24
%@ 2333-9721
%D 2025
%I Open Access Library
%R 10.4236/oalib.1114451
%X Even though youth make up a large portion of Kenya¡¯s population, many lack opportunities for full development, which limits their social, economic, and personal growth. This study explored how out-of-school youth mentorship is associated with positive youth development (PYD) among secondary school students in Kibra, Nairobi County. The focus was on mentor support and individual traits. We used a cross-sectional convergent parallel design targeting 3560 youths enrolled in ten community-based mentorship programmes. A total of 349 programme participants and 102 non-participants took part. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression. Qualitative data from 10 key informants and seven focus groups were thematically analyzed. The findings showed that high mentorship participation is linked to higher PYD: 97% of highly involved students reported high PYD versus 33% among low-involvement students. Programme involvement was a stronger predictor (<em>¦Â</em> = 0.287) than community engagement (<em>¦Â</em> = 0.243). Mentorship also boosted traits like school connectedness (97.4%), goal orientation (95.1%), motivation (94%), collaboration (91.4%), and faith (98.3%), with school connectedness, goal orientation, and collaboration being the strongest predictors (<em>¦Â</em> = 0.32, 0.21, 0.184; R2 = 0.555, p &lt; 0.001). Qualitative insights reinforced these results, showing that structured guidance, role modelling, and parental support strengthen students¡¯ social, emotional, and cognitive growth. The study indicates that participation in mentorship programmes, alongside parental support, appears crucial for fostering holistic PYD among secondary students in urban informal settlements in Kenya.
%K Youth
%K Mentorship
%K Out-of-School Programmes
%K Secondary School Students
%K Kibra
%K Kenya
%U http://www.oalib.com/paper/6877743