Posted on May 29, 2025 by eporter
A Guide to Establishing Relationships with Mentors as a Mentoring Program Staff Member
Though a mentoring relationship is defined as a partnership between a mentor and a mentee, mentoring program staff understand better than anyone that there is a lot that goes on “behind the scenes” to create strong, long-lasting matches. From recruiting and screening mentors to orchestrating trainings to monitoring match progress to supporting matches and match members, mentoring program staff play an integral part in helping youth gain mentoring experiences that will positively impact them.
Posted on by eporter
Prevent Substance Use and Promote Healthy Decision-Making in Mentees: Incorporating Media Literacy Skill-Building Opportunities in Your Program
Mentoring programs have an important opportunity to maximize the benefits of their program for mentees by helping matches become more media literate. Read the full article…
Posted on April 15, 2025 by eporter
Improve Mentee Outcomes by Incorporating Mindfulness in Your Mentoring Program
A recent study found that incorporating mindfulness-based interventions in mentoring programs positively impacted mentees’ behavioral and mental health outcomes, and improved the acceptability of the mentoring program.1 Mindfulness-based interventions aim to teach learners how to be aware of and manage their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors which, in turn, may improve their emotion and behavior regulation abilities and healthy decision-making in the face of stressful, challenging, or risky situations.
Posted on April 14, 2025 by eporter
MENTOR’s Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring™ (EEPM) is a guidebook for mentoring programs that outlines standards of practice that are proven by research to have positive impacts on mentoring relationships or mentees. By following the standards outlined in the EEPM, mentoring programs can ensure that they are positively impacting the lives of youth and may increase their chances of receiving funding to support their program.
Posted on April 11, 2025 by eporter
How the EQUIP Evaluation System Can Help You Improve Your Mentoring Program
You probably already know that the small choices your mentoring program makes matter. Your day-to-day mentoring program practices can have tremendous positive or negative impact on the mentees you serve. In addition, the way that you manage your program can influence your chances of receiving funding to support your program. But, how do you know if your program is really excelling and where it falls short? Mentoring Central offers thorough evaluation services to help you assess and improve your program to reach its highest potential.
Posted on March 10, 2025 by eporter
Tips to Help Mentors Become Advocates for their Mentees
When volunteering for a mentoring program, mentors take on a responsibility to support their mentee as they work towards their goals or face challenges. This often includes providing their mentee with emotional support, doing fun activities with their mentee that support their goals, or giving them advice when asked. However, mentors also have the opportunity to expand upon these roles and potentially open new doors for their mentee by becoming an advocate for their mentee.
Posted on January 9, 2025 by eporter
Motivating Mentees to Participate and Engage in School
At the beginning of the new year, most youth are returning to school from a holiday break and entering a new semester. At this point in the academic year, it can be easy for students to feel burnt out or struggle to adjust back to a school schedule after a break. Mentors can help their mentees who are students combat burnout or negative academic outcomes by boosting their motivation to participate in school activities.
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Guidance for Mentoring as an Athletic Coach
Participation in sports is common in American youth. In fact, approximately 54% of 6- to 17-year-olds in the United States participate in an organized sport, such as school-based sports teams, local leagues, or traveling athletic teams.1 Athletic involvement can have numerous benefits for youth, including improved academic performance, physical health, mental health, and social skills. Athletic coaches play an important role in the lives of youth by helping them achieve these positive outcomes through athletics.
Posted on November 26, 2024 by eporter
Tips to Help Matches Thrive at the Mid-Point of Their Mentoring Relationships
The lifecycle of many mentoring relationships follows the schedule of the academic year, with mentoring relationships beginning when the school year begins and closing as the school year ends. This means that many matches have now reached the halfway point or “mid-point” of their mentoring relationship.
Posted on October 31, 2024 by eporter
Tips for Navigating Difficult Conversations with Your Mentee
Having difficult or uncomfortable conversations with a mentee is one aspect of mentoring that many mentors find intimidating. For example, you may find it challenging to navigate conversations about substance misuse, concepts of gender, racism, and violence with your mentee in ways that are empowering, respectful, and foster relationship closeness.