The Science Behind: Flash Mentoring

Flash Mentoring

Flash Mentoring: A New Model for Reaching Mentors Who Can Open Doors

Rhodes, J. E., Werntz, A., Jasman, M., & Druilhet Morton, D. (2026). Stocking the pond: Empowering young women to recruit social capital through technology-enabled flash mentoring. Youth, 6(1), 35. 

A program evaluation of MentorPRO’s flash mentoring feature, deployed through Step Up Women’s Network, found strong feasibility and user engagement: 285 mentors and 363 young women from underrepresented communities joined the platform over two years, exchanging more than 5,000 messages, holding 316 meetings, and setting nearly 1,500 goals. Flash mentoring offers brief, targeted connections with pre-screened professionals, lowering the barrier to entry for young women who may lack confidence or access to career networks. The evaluation supports flash mentoring as a scalable complement to longer-term mentoring relationships.