Baloo and You (Germany)
Solution types
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Life periods served
Where the program was applied
Country of application
Description

This is a mentoring program designed to provide informal learning opportunities for children from low-income families who are in elementary school. It aims to support their healthy development through an authentic relationship with a caring adult.
Children are monitored by volunteer tutors for one afternoon per week for up to 12 months. Activities are tailored to the needs, strengths, and interests of the children and tutors (e.g., visiting a zoo, arts and crafts, or just talking). Tutors are expected to act as prosocial role models to encourage the learning of new ideas and skills.

Impact evaluations

An impact evaluation showed an increase in the levels of prosocial behavior in the children participating in the program compared to the control group after the two-year follow-up period [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Kosse, F., Deckers, T., Schildberg-Hörisch, H., & Falk, A. (2014). Formation of human prosociality: Causal evidence on the role of social environment. University of Bonn, Germany.

Information source