The Resource Center: National Mentoring Month effective practices

Building strong relationships in mentoring programs

With the increased expansion of mentoring programs, careful attention must be paid to the development and quality of the mentor-mentee relationship, as this bond is crucial for attaining desired youth outcomes. This study by Public/Private Ventures (P/PV) for the National Mentoring Partnership identifies common practices of mentoring programs that foster close and supportive relationships. Program decisions from how activities are chosen, to training and support offered to mentors, impact the relationship between mentors and youth. From the report, "Mentoring School-Age Children: Relationship Development in Community-Based and School-Based Programs" (April 2000). Read more.

Creating a successful online mentoring program

Virtual volunteering and virtual volunteer program management are beginning to play a larger role in national and community service. Not intended as a substitute for traditional "in person" volunteering, this application of technology adds both to the quality of service contributed and helps attract people who may not have volunteered before. This effective practice describes steps to creating online programs that work, using a successful mentoring project as an example. Some of the materials are excerpted from The Virtual Volunteering Guidebook by Susan J. Ellis and Jayne Cravens. Jayne Cravens submitted this effective practice in June 2003. Read more.

Designing and implementing a mentoring program for children of prisoners

Children with incarcerated parents are especially vulnerable to at-risk behaviors and are in a position to receive enormous positive benefits from volunteering and being mentored. National and community service programs will find these recommendations on designing and implementing a program that mentors children of prisoners helpful. These suggestions have been adapted from the publication, Building from the Ground Up: Creating Effective Programs to Mentor Children of Prisoners, by W. Wilson Goode Sr., the director of Amachi, a national mentoring program for children of prisoners that began in September 2000. Read more.

Establishing a responsible mentoring program

Mentoring works best when measures are taken to ensure quality and effectiveness. Guidelines offered in this effective practice include measures any mentoring program can take to offer the best mentoring possible, and are excerpted from Elements of Effective Practice, 2nd. edition, MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership, 2003. Read more.

Establishing an outdoor-based mentoring program

Trekkers, Inc. is an outdoor-based mentoring program for youth in St. George, Thomaston and Cushing, Maine. By taking the traditional mentoring idea outdoors, Trekkers is able to connect caring adults with youth through travel, community service, and adventure-based education. The outdoor setting provides a neutral place for the mentor and mentee to have a shared experience and build an appreciation of the earth as "educator." This effective practice was shared by Nancy Anderson with Maine Interfaith Mentoring, at the AmeriCorps*VISTA Faith-Based and Community Organization Conference at the University of Indianapolis, August 20-22, 2001. Read more.

Identifying ten characteristics of quality mentoring programs

This effective practice shares ten characteristics for developing a quality mentoring program or evaluating an existing one. It is excerpted from a 2002 toolkit created for the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, with a focus on school completion within the priority area of youth achievement. Read more.

Incorporating effective practices for successful e-mentoring

A mentoring relationship can take many forms, and increasingly in this technological age, e-mentoring is gaining prominence. Like traditional face-to-face mentoring, e-mentoring poses its own challenges and rewards. This effective practice shares elements that are essential for successful e-mentoring, using materials developed by the National Mentoring Partnership. A link to the document is provided. Read more.

Mentoring adolescents

Chapter One of The Two of Us: A Handbook for Mentors, describes some of the characteristics of adolescence and the trials associated with this stage of life. By recognizing some of the challenges, mentors can help their adolescent mentees by establishing limits and structure, reinforcing the mentees' strengths, helping the mentee see alternative points of view, and seeking opportunities for the mentees to behave independently and responsibly. Read more.

Mentoring incarcerated youth to reduce recidivism

In Imperial County, California, Foster Grandparents who mentor and tutor youth in juvenile hall provide social and emotional support, as well as literacy skills, and can be a decisive factor in helping youth turn their lives around. This effective practice was highlighted in the National Service News, Issue No. 208, October 2004, published by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Read more.

Mentoring youth to make positive life decisions

Making positive life decisions is a skill that can be modeled successfully when working with youth. Using an eight-step process outlined by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory will encourage youth to do the same when facing tough decisions on their own. Nancy Henry shared this effective practice on the NSSCTalk e-mail discussion list in November 2004. Read more.

Partnering with county extension agents to train mentors

North Dakota State University, sponsor of six regional RSVP programs in the state, has formed an innovative partnership with the North Dakota Cooperative Extension Service agents to train RSVP volunteers to mentor children of incarcerated adults. The partners developed customized mentor-training materials that can be incorporated into the existing youth-development curricula used by extension service agents statewide. The partnership is as an effective model of a practical approach for national service programs seeking to provide uniform, consistent mentor training across large, statewide or multi-site service areas. Erich Stiefvater of LEARNS, submitted this effective practice in April 2006. Read more.

Promoting inclusion in mentoring

According to the MENTOR website, 15 million young Americans are waiting for mentors. With the Corporation's 2006 strategic plan, and it's focus on mentoring disadvantaged youth, all those who are interested in this type of service should be welcomed and encouraged. This effective practice, submitted by Elesheva Soloff of the National Service Inclusion Project, in June 2006, identifies factors that help make mentoring accessible to all. Read more.

Recruiting male mentors

Historically, men have volunteered for social service programs in lower numbers than women, and this absence is especially noticeable in mentoring programs. This effective practice offers tips from mentoring programs across the country on how to attract male mentors. These guidelines were compiled by Nancy Henry, Program Director, Volunteer Leadership Center, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, and shared on the NSSCTalk e-mail discussion list in September, 2004. The practice offers additional resource materials. Read more.

Recruiting mentors for at-risk and youth with disabilities in rural areas

Recruiting volunteers for rural programs has historically been difficult. Add to this the nature of those needing mentoring — "at risk" and youth with disabilities — and finding mentors for this role might seem especially problematic. However, a program in a rural Texas town found success by creating a plan every three months and following through with a focused campaign. Using this strategy, quantity and quality of mentors has increased. Angie Delp of Goodwill Industries' YouthWorks! submitted this effective practice in March 2006. Read more.

Recruiting mentors in tribal/rural communities: ten tips

Implementing any type of volunteer-based youth service is always challenging in rural and tribal communities, and mentoring is no exception. This effective practice provides ten tips for advancing recruitment efforts. Excerpted, with permission from the article, "Recruiting Mentors in Tribal Communities — Thoughts From North Dakota," by Mark LoMurray, LSW, and published in the July 2004 issue (Vol. 2., No. 2) of The National Mentoring Center Bulletin, a project of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory and funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. A link to the publication is provided. Read more.

Solving problems in mentoring programs

Mentoring programs face common problems as they work to provide youth with positive adult role models. At the 2001 National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service in Minneapolis, Minnesota, staff from mentoring programs shared ideas for recruiting, selecting mentors, training and orientation, matching youth with mentors, and establishing relationships. Programs' best practices were recorded during a problem-solving clinic on mentoring during the conference. Read more.

Starting a career development tutoring/mentoring program in ten steps

This effective practice describes ten steps for beginning a tutoring/mentoring program based on the philosophy that all youth, but particularly those from low-income families, need positive role models that demonstrate the skills of self-esteem and good learning habits to move from poverty to jobs to a career. These materials have been excerpted with permission from the Tutor/Mentor Connection website. These strategies have been used successfully in tutoring/mentoring youth in economically disadvantaged areas in and around Chicago, Illinois. Read more.

Understanding mentoring opportunities

Quality mentoring takes many different forms, depending on the needs of both adults (mentors) and children (mentees). This effective practice explores several different options in mentoring and is excerpted from the toolkit, How to Build a Successful Mentoring Program Using the Elements of Effective Practice, developed by MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership in 2005. Read more.

Using ten techniques to sustain a successful mentoring relationship

Research supports the idea that young people can be helped to successfully complete school through a relationship with a caring adult mentor. Mentors oftentimes provide the extra encouragement and support that may help struggling youth to complete their education. This effective practice shares ten techniques for developing and sustaining a successful mentoring relationship. It is excerpted from the 2002 toolkit created for the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation with a focus on school completion within the priority area of youth achievement. Read more.

Writing a policies and procedures manual for a youth mentoring program

Administering a youth mentoring program is complex, and written policies and procedures can contribute to the long-term stability and safety of the program. Mark Fulop submitted this effective practice that shares a recommended set of policies and procedures from the National Mentoring Center. A link to their generic program policy and procedure manual is included. Read more.

Service Events