LEARNS: Webinars
- Introduction to LEARNS Resources and Services
- Introduction to the CNCS/LEARNS Web-Based Tutor Training
- Building Youth Literacy in Mentoring Programs
- Creative Recruitment
- Growing Culturally Welcoming and Validating Programs
- Making and Supporting the Match
- Mentoring 101
- Peer Mentoring: Recruiting, Training, and Ensuring Longevity
- Saying Goodbye
Introduction to LEARNS Resources and Services
Learn about resources and services available from LEARNS including print materials, instructional tools, key web resources, and one-on-one assistance. This webinar is designed for new programs or staff who focus on youth development, mentoring, tutoring, or out-of-school time.
Introduction to the CNCS/LEARNS Web-Based Tutor Training
Video (WMV), Transcript (PDF), Slides (PDF)
An introduction to and tour of the CNCS/LEARNS Web-Based Tutor Training online course. Designed for new staff members of tutoring, literacy, and homework help programs.
Building Youth Literacy in Mentoring Programs
Audio (MP3), Transcript (PDF), Slides (PDF)
There are many ways mentors can interact with youth to encourage and develop the literacy skills crucial for personal and professional success. Join Randi Douglas and Erich Stiefvater of LEARNS for this hour-long, interactive discussion of ways mentors can model and coach key literacy skills for youth in grades 5 through 12.
Creative Recruitment
Video (WMV), Transcript (PDF), Slides (PDF)
Understand the guiding principles of volunteer recruitment, learn how to identify a target audience for their recruitment efforts, become familiar with various recruitment strategies, and gain ideas for recruiting more male volunteers.
Growing Culturally Welcoming and Validating Programs (September 2008)
Embracing cultural diversity helps youth-serving programs promote positive outcomes for the young people they tutor and mentor. To help staff start and sustain program practices that honor and support youth from diverse backgrounds, LEARNS offered a series of three online trainings on Growing Culturally Welcoming and Validating Programs presented by Ginlin Woo in September 2008. Ginlin has over 40 years of experience as a community organizer, facilitator, resource developer, and teacher working in a variety of communities and cultures across the country and in Micronesia.
- Session 1: Laying the Foundation (September 10, 2008)
Video (WMV), Annotated Transcript (PDF), Slides (PDF), Handouts (PDF)
This webinar discussed the importance of creating culturally welcoming and validating programs, envisioning what such programs look like, and exploring guiding principles for creating them. - Session 2: Assessing the Climate and the Soil (September 23, 2008)
Video (WMV), Annotated Transcript (PDF), Slides (PDF), Handouts (PDF)
This webinar built on the first to provide strategies and tools for mapping the cultures represented in programs and communities. - Session 3: Training Staff and Volunteers (September 30, 2008)
Video (WMV) , Annotated Transcript (PDF), Slides (PDF), Handouts (PDF)
This webinar covered communicating priorities and goals around cultural inclusion to staff and volunteers and training them to honor and promote a welcoming environment.
Making and Supporting the Match
Audio (MP3), Transcript (PDF), Slides (PDF)
Learn about the process of making mentor-mentee matches and getting them off to a good start. Understand standards for match supervision and monitoring, and hear real life examples of how to troubleshoot match issues.
Mentoring 101
Review the principles of quality mentoring, including the definition of a mentor, developmental relationships, elements of effective programs, and key resources for program success.
Peer Mentoring: Recruiting, Training, and Ensuring Longevity
Video (WMV), Transcript (PDF), Slides (PDF)
This one-hour session was presented by Tina Christensen, Program Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochester (NY), one of the nation’s leading peer mentoring programs. Tina’s peer mentoring model has produced a number of compelling positive outcomes for youth. She shared her advice on how to effectively structure program services, and provided a number of training materials and other handouts programs can use.
Handouts: 1) Using the General Self-Efficacy Scale, 2) GSES Handout for High School Mentors, 3) GSES Handout for Elementary School Mentees, 4) Outline for Training High School “Bigs”, 5) Roles and Expectations, 6) Sample Ground Rules for High School Mentor Agreement, 7) Memorandum of Understanding.
Saying Goodbye
As the school year draws to a close, many national service volunteers are also completing their tutoring and mentoring sessions with students. The end of the year is often a difficult time for children—saying goodbye and separating from classmates, teachers, mentors and tutors can be stressful. The Webinar covers how to deal with separation behaviors, tips for reviewing work and accomplishments and examples of appropriate gifts.