The Society for Research on Adolescence is pleased to announce the introduction of the Young Scholars Program.

Mission | Program | Guidelines | Application Process

Mission
The Young Scholars Program is intended to encourage and support junior and senior undergraduate students from underrepresented ethnic minority groups from the United States and/or North America to pursue graduate work and careers in adolescent development. Support for the program has been provided by the William T. Grant Foundation and the Society for Research on adolescence.

Program
The Young Scholars Program will be organized around the SRA Biennial Meeting, to be held in Chicago, Illinois, March 6-9, 2008. Selected scholars will attend the meeting and participate in special pre-meeting activities that focus on topics such as careers in adolescent research, applying to graduate school and funding, and navigating the Biennial Meeting. Scholars also will have the opportunity to receive mentorship from graduate students and senior scholars who are active in the field of adolescent research. Young scholars will be compensated for travel, accommodations, and some meals.

Guidelines

Young Scholars
Junior and senior undergraduate students from the United States and/or North America interested in pursuing a career in the field of adolescence, and are a member of an underrepresented group (African American, Latino, Native American, Asian and/or Pacific Islander) are eligible.

As a Young Scholar, students will:

• Attend the SRA Biennial Meeting in Chicago, including dedicated pre-conference events.
• Receive mentorship by graduate students and senior scholars before, during, and after the meeting.
• Receive compensation for travel to Chicago, transportation to and from hotel and airport, and hotel accommodations. Travel arrangements will be made by the Junior Scholars program .

Young Scholars will have the following responsibilities:

• Attend at the Biennial Meeting and all special pre-conference activities
• Maintain contact with mentors before, during, and after attending the meeting
• Keep the SRA office informed of contact information for five years following the meeting

Junior Mentors
Doctoral students from the United States and/or North American are encouraged to apply to be Junior Mentors to the Young Scholars. Students who demonstrate mentoring qualities, a commitment to the aims of the program, and who are pursuing a career in adolescent research, policy, or practice are welcome to apply. Junior Mentors will receive a stipend of $300 to aid with the expenses of participating in the pre-conference activities.

As a Junior Mentor, students will:

• Attend the SRA Biennial Meeting and all special pre-conference activities.
• Maintain contact with assigned Young Scholar before, during, and after attending the meeting in order to develop a mentoring relationship.
• Allow the Young Scholar to shadow you during at least one activity at the conference (i.e., presentations, discussions, symposia, etc.), in order to share the conference experience with the Young Scholar.
• Keep the SRA office informed of contact information for five years following the meeting.

Senior Mentors
Senior level professionals in the field of adolescent development are encouraged to volunteer to serve as Senior Mentors in order to provide the Young Scholars with mentorship about graduate school, career paths, and the field in general.
Senior Mentors will be asked to:

• Attend the SRA Biennial Meeting and attend the Thursday preconference activities.
• Maintain contact with assigned Young Scholar before, during, and after attending the meeting in order to develop a mentoring relationship.
• Allow the Young Scholar to shadow you during at least one activity at the conference (i.e., presentations, discussions, symposia, etc.), in order to share the conference experience with the Young Scholar.
• Keep the SRA office informed of contact information for five years following the meeting.

Interested potential Senior Mentors should complete the the Senior Mentor Form and email it to Birgit Swanson at swansonb@s-r-a.org.

Application Process
A Scholar/Junior Mentor application for the 2010 Young Scholars Program will be available in early fall 2009. We will accept interested Senior Mentor applications on a continual basis. [Senior Mentor Form]

Support for the SRA Young Scholars Program is provided by the William T. Grant Foundation.

Questions? Contact Birgit Swanson at (734) 926-0610 or swansonb@s-r-a.org.