|
|
 |
Links You Can Use! Training New Mentors (published by the National Mentoring Center) An excellent resource for program coordinators and staff trainers, this newly-revised training outline contains a dozen activities for new mentor orientation. The guide is divided into two sections: Mentors' Roles and Expectations, which focuses on the basics of mentor/mentee relationships, and Speaking of Trust, which highlights listening skills and communication development. All activities come with facilitator notes and handouts, and many contain role-playing exercises to help new mentors understand the relationship from a variety of viewpoints. Training New Mentees: A Manual For Preparing Youth in Mentoring Programs (published by the National Mentoring Center) Proper training and preparation of mentees can result in greater satisfaction, increased participation, and more meaningful "buy-in" by youth. This guidebook can help your program develop and deliver a mentee training session that gets kids ready for the mentoring journey. It features strategies, training exercises, and supporting materials that can be adapted to suit your particular program. Fostering Close and Effective Relationships in Youth Mentoring Programs (published by MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership) This resource examines the many ways programs can help mentors and mentees form closer relationships over time, and why it's critical to program outcomes that they do so. Written by Dr. Jean Rhodes, the publication also offers some tools for programs to use in monitoring matches and empowering mentors. Why Youth Mentoring Relationships End (published by MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership) This new publication explores many of the common reasons that some mentoring relationships fail while providing some simple tools programs can use to make compatible matches and avoid relationship struggles. Handouts from Mentoring for Meaningful Results (published by the Search Institute) The Search Institute, whose 40 Developmental Assets have formed a key component of most youth work today, have made several sections and handouts from their widely acclaimed Mentoring for Meaningful Results guidebook available. These can easily be incorporated into mentor or parent orientations. ~ What Is My Role as a Mentor? ~ My Mentor’s Role in My Life ~ Setting and Reaching Goals ~ Supporting Your Child’s Relationship with a Mentor (for parents) Tools for Mentoring Adolescents (published by the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota) An outstanding collection of 10 easily adaptable training activities and information. Designing An Effective Training Program For Your Mentors (published by EMT) This lengthy training session for program coordinators is packed with useful information that can help ED grantees improve their mentor training. The sections on adult learning theory and critical mentoring skills are especially well written. Training Guide for Recruiting Students (published by Students in Business, Inc.) This manual offers suggestions and strategies for getting youth interested and oriented to a school-based mentoring program. Designing and Customizing Mentor Training (published by EMT) This training session covers many of the usual content areas of mentor training. It offers a number of training activities that ED grantees could incorporate into their training. Responsible Mentoring: Talking About Drugs, Sex and Other Difficult Issues (published by EMT) This publication can help staff prepare their mentors for some of the more difficult subjects that may come while working with high-risk youth. It is imperative that mentors have the skills to handle the more sensitive and troubling issues in the lives of their mentees. Preparing Mentees for Success: A Program Manager's Guide (published by EMT) Another great resource for getting youth ready for their mentoring journey. Includes sample training content and train-the-trainer information for those unfamiliar with training youth. Learn to Mentor Online Training (produced by MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership) This semi-interactive web-based training may be useful in teaching or supplementing some basic mentoring skills in your volunteers. Web version: http://apps.mentoring.org/training/TMT/index.adp SafetyNet Pilot This nationwide FBI fingerprint-based background check pilot project is available to any mentoring program in the country. Through SafetyNET, each FBI background check costs $18, and results are delivered within 3-5 business days. Web site: http://apps.mentoring.org/safetynet/ Screening Mentors (published by the National Mentoring Center) This module from the JUMP curriculum examines many of the issues around screening volunteers, including applications, interviews, and formal background checks. Checking Criminal Histories: Considerations Before You Begin (published by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center) This short publication covers the steps a program can take before they begin the volunteer screening process. Web version: http://nonprofitrisk.org/library/articles/employment05001998.shtml Mentoring Essentials: Risk Management for Mentoring Programs (published by EMT) This training session teaches mentoring programs how to assess their risks, ways prepare for crises, and tips for troubleshooting program operations for increased safety and security for all participants. Running a Safe and Effective Mentoring Program, Section 2: Volunteer Screening (published by the Friends for Youth Mentoring Institute) A very concise, step-by-step set of screening tools and suggestions. Guidelines for the Screening of Persons Working with Children, the Elderly, and Individuals with Disabilities in Need of Support (published by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention) This OJJDP publication offers a simple decisionmaking model for screening volunteers who will be working with youth and other vulnerable groups. Barriers to Preventing Abuse (excerpt from a Nonprofit Risk Management Center publication, hosted on the Energize, Inc. site) An excellent article details several common areas where volunteer programs have risk management gaps that can potentially lead to abuse and other problems. Web version: http://www.energizeinc.com/art/achila.html DREAM Program Mentor Screening Procedures (produced by the DREAM program, Winooski, VT) This document is a good example of a local program's screening procedures and policies. All programs should have something similar to this that can guide staff and inform potential volunteers throughout the screening process. Foundations of Successful Youth Mentoring: A Guidebook for Program Development (published by the National Mentoring Center) Written for program administrators, board members, mentoring staff, and others interested in establishing or improving youth mentoring programs, this 110-page guidebook lays the foundation for a mentoring program's long-term success and the safety and well-being of the youth they serve. The guidebook identifies five critical foundations of successful youth mentoring and delivers specific guidance on how to optimize them in new and existing mentoring programs. Includes self-assessment questions, listings of other key resources, detailed checklists, and planning timelines. Generic Mentoring Program Policy and Procedure Manual (published by the National Mentoring Center) No mentoring program can succeed without policies that govern decisions and procedures that guide the day-to-day operations of the program. A policy and procedure manual is a must, both in terms of risk management and in terms of achieving outcomes and participant satisfaction. This guidebook and accompanying template will help your organization think about and draft policies and procedures that fit the needs of your agency and clients. The ABCs of School-Based Mentoring (published by the National Mentoring Center) This newly revised version incorporates the latest research from Public/Private Ventures and other mentoring leaders into a guide for school and community partners. Effectiveness of Mentoring Program Practices (published by MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership) This resource offers a look at the research into the links between specific program practices (how a program offers its services) and outcomes for youth. It also offers an assessment tool that can help programs identify areas that need strengthening. Mentoring: A Key Resource for Promoting Positive Youth Development (published by MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership) This resource explores ways mentoring programs can promote youth development principles in the way they structure services and in the activities their mentors engage in with youth. Tools for mentors are provided. Program Staff in Youth Mentoring Programs: Qualifications, Training, and Retention (published by MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership) A well-qualified staff is the core of any successful youth mentoring program, and this new resource explores staff qualifications, training, and development that can strengthen your services. School-Based Mentoring (published by MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership) This publication, written by prominenet researchers Dr. Michael Karcher and Dr. Carla Herrera, examines the evidence base and best practices for effective school-based mentoring. Self-assessment tools for programs are also included. Cross-Age Peer Mentoring (published by MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership) Peer mentoring is an increasingly popular strategy for serving greater numbers of students with mentoring relationships. This resource examines current research into this model and provides some planning tools that can help get a new peer program implemented. How to Build a Successful Mentoring Program Using the Elements of Effective Practice (published by MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership) This publication fleshes out the concepts found in the original Elements of Effective Practice, creating a comprehensive guide to running a quality program. Best Practices for Mentoring Programs (published by EMT) Yet another set of guidelines and strategies for mentoring programs. This one examines several common pitfalls for programs and offers solutions and evaluation methods to identify and avoid them. The Technical Assistance Packet Series (published by the National Mentoring Center and Public/Private Ventures) This series of eight publications is designed to give program coordinators practical tools that can build quality mentoring services. Topics covered include recruitment, volunteer training, and mentor support. The publication on school-based mentoring (#1) and the handbook for mentors (#4) will be of particular interest to ED grantees. Yes, You Can: A Guide for Establishing Mentoring Programs to Prepare Youth for College (published by the US Department of Education) This Department of Education publication is intended as a guide for employers, community-based organizations, college students, senior citizens, and others who are interested in starting a mentoring program. In addition to practical information about starting and operating a program, interspersed throughout are examples of successful programs, as well as resources to call upon for more information and support. Web version: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/YesYouCan Training Guide for Facilitated Mentoring Programs (published by Students in Business, Inc) This is a train-the-coordinator guide for developing a program that connects local businesses and students in mentoring relationships. It covers roles and responsibilities, program structure, and the usual foursome of recruiting, screening, training, and matching. When Stakes Are High: Research-Based Mentoring for Youth With Multiple Risk Factors (published by EMT) (published by EMT) This publication explores issues and strategies for serving high-risk youth, such as children of prisoners, foster youth, adjudicated youth, and youth from homes with substance abuse problems. ED grantees will likely be serving youth that fall into these categories, even if they are not the target audience, and this publication can help ensure that services and support mechanisms are appropriate. Principles for Informing and Engaging Parents (published by Center for Applied Research Solutions) Although written for drug prevention programs, this Prevention Brief offers useful advice that mentoring programs can use to boost parental involvement and engage families in the delivery and improvement of mentoring services. PDF file: http://www.ca-sdfsc.org/docs/prevention_brief/SDFSC_Prevention_Brief_May_2005.pdf Creating and Sustaining a Winning Match (published by EMT) Making and supporting high-quality matches is often the key to program success or failure. This resource teaches program coordinators how to match youth with appropriate mentors and how to make sure those relationships last over time. Programs should make sure that any of the following sample forms they use are cleared by their program administrators, board, or legal counsel when appropriate. Ideally every program should keep all their forms as part of a policy and procedure, or operations, manual. Mentee Forms § Acceptance Letter § Application § Assessment Summary § Contact Sheet § Contract § Exit Survey § Interest Survey § Interview § Referral § Rejection Letter § Report Log Mentor Forms § Acceptance Letter § Application § Assessment Summary § Contact Sheet § Contract § Exit Survey § Interest Survey § Interview § Job Description § Rejection Letter § Report Log Parent/Guardian Forms § Contact and Information Release § Contract § Exit Survey § Referral Letter § Report Log Other Forms § Match Goal Setting and Reflection Worksheet § Closure Letter § Information Release § Match Closure Summary § Match Worksheet § Memorandum of Understanding § Personal References § Program Coordinator: Mentoring Job Description § Volunteer Inquiry Tracking Tutoring YouthFriends Volunteer Reading Guide This new guide is for volunteers who want to foster reading enjoyment by helping students improve their literacy and comprehension skills. It includes background information on how students learn to read as well as how volunteers can enhance this fundamental endeavor so crucial to a student’s future success. Information is drawn from the America Reads Initiative, LEARNS, National Service Resource Center, Bank Street College of Education, the National Reading Panel and the experiences of thousands of YouthFriends reading volunteers. LEARNS Web-based Tutor Training (produced by LEARNS) This excellent self-teaching tool for tutors offers separate modules related to reading comprehension, reading in English, and providing homework help during out-of-school-time settings. It also offers a number of handy worksheets and reference materials, and even allows tutors to build a custom "tote bag" of tutoring tips, strategies, and ideas. Sign up at: http://nationalserviceresources.org/online-courses Outcomes and Research in Out-of-School Time Program Design (published by Philadelphia's Best Practices Institute) This publication focuses on research around effective practices in afterschool and out-of-school time programs. This document can help ED grantees structure their site-based mentoring services along established best practices. Especially useful is the section detailing desired outcomes, appropriate strategies to match those outcomes, and data that can be collected to show progress towards those goals. The Tutor Newsletter (published by LEARNS) This quarterly newsletter, designed for tutors working on national service projects, offers tips not only for tutors themselves, but for program coordinators as well. The latest issue deals with volunteers learning about, and effectively interacting within, the climate of a school. Archive of web-based issues: http://nationalserviceresources.org/learns/tutor Tips for Reading Tutors (produced by the US Department of Education) This one-page brochure offers some simple guidelines for tutors and other volunteers, such as mentors, who will be helping boost academic results. A nice handout for mentor training sessions. Critical Hours: Afterschool Programs and Educational Success This research-based resource should be beneficial to ED grantees, especially those that are offering their mentoring services as part of an afterschool setting. It explores the connection between academic success and the quality of afterschool programming. Mentoring efforts can learn a great deal about program structure and design from the lessons learned in this research. How Afterschool Programs Can Most Effectively Promote Positive Youth Development as a Support to Academic Achievement (published by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time) This report, Commissioned by the Boston After-School for All Partnership, explores how afterschool programs can structure themselves to promote youth development with the intention of increasing academic outcomes. While the research and examples are all local to the Boston area, the report does provide plenty of theory on the connection between youth development and learning, as well as examples of local and national programs utilizing positive strategies. Students Teaching Students: A Handbook for Cross-Age Tutoring (published by also Partners in School Innovation) Although written for programs serving elementary-aged youth, this publication should be helpful to the ED grantees in serving slightly older youth, especially those programs that are using a peer mentoring model. The guidebook offers an overview of what cross-age tutoring is, a real-life example of program development and implementation, and a collection of practical ideas, activities, and examples for tutor training, reflection, and recognition. Keeping Cross-age Tutoring Alive: Growing and Sustaining a School-Wide Tutoring Program (published by Partners in School Innovation) This is another peer-mentoring/tutoring resource that should help ED grantees. Especially useful is the third chapter which focuses on ways of helping develop the relationships between tutors and youth. America Learns Strategy of the Month (produced by America Learns) This webpage offers a monthly tutoring tip submitted by a volunteer program somewhere in the US. Visitors may also sign up for a free monthly email for future tips (there is also a database of archived tutoring tips that visitors can access with permission). Web version: www.americalearns.net/strategy.htm
|
 |
