Entries by Michael Garringer

FORUM: How do you assess the level of “risk” in your mentees?

During last week’s webinar on the recent Role of Risk study, there was an excellent discussion about how to define “risk” in a young person’s life and how those factors might influence their mentoring relationship and even a program’s design and delivery. All young people face some level of risk or deal with a few […]

FORUM: How does your program prepare youth for the mentoring experience?

Mentoring programs always place a premium on the training of mentors. After all, these are the individuals who deliver the essence of the program: a caring, meaningful relationship. But that relationship involves two people and it seems that properly preparing young people for the mentoring experience should have just as much impact on how their […]

POLL: What new mentoring research do you think would be most beneficial?

The research base around youth mentoring has grown considerably over the last decade and it seems that every few months a new report or resource comes along that improves our understanding of how to deliver mentoring services and what they can achieve. Already this year we have the valuable insights from the Role of Risk […]

How can we prepare mentors to work with children in poverty? Leaders weigh in!

 Now on podcast by Michael Garringer One of the biggest challenges for the mentoring field is the often large gap in socio-economic status between those who are volunteering to mentor and those receiving services. Research has shown that mentors in America tend to be more highly educated and employed (this 2005 MENTOR study highlighted that […]

FORUM: What’s the single best piece of advice for a new mentor you’ve ever heard?

  Obviously, preparing brand new mentors for their role is one of the most important aspects of building great relationships and, ultimately, achieving program outcomes. Drs. Janis Kupersmidt and Jean Rhodes are in the process of evaluating their promising, new evidence-based training, which many programs have already praised for it’s clarity.  But other trainings are […]

FORUM: Can e-mentoring really support youth with significant needs?

With the explosion in the last decade of social media, virtual relationships, and online communities, it seems that e-mentoring is poised to become an increasingly popular option for serving youth. Many practitioners are wondering if electronic communications can be used to enhance the mentoring experience—or perhaps replace the in-person component entirely. But what can e-mentoring […]

January webinar: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Looking Back, Looking Forward: Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series Thursday, January 17, 2013 10:00-11:15 AM Pacific/ 11:00-12:15 PM Mountain/
12:00-1:15 PM Central/1:00-2:15 PM Eastern We did it! We successfully held 12 collaborative webinars in 2012, reaching hundreds of youth mentoring professionals and talking about important topics to the field. In this month’s webinar, we’ll take a look […]

December 20th webinar to focus on social media and National Mentoring Month

Maximizing the Message: Using Social Media to Expand Your National Mentoring Month Outreach Thursday, December 20, 2012 10:00 -11:15 am Pacific/ 11:00 AM-12:15 pm Mountain/ 12:00-1:15 pm Central/ 1:00-2:15 pm Eastern National Mentoring Month is just one month away.  Maximize this annual opportunity to increase visibility, recruit mentors, and find more supporters for your program […]