Posted on June 28, 2024 by eporter
Oklahoma Mentoring Programs Implement Mentoring Central’s Mentor Trainings
iRT is excited to announce that it is collaborating with the Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) and the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth (OCCY) to implement and evaluate Mentoring Central’s training programs and mentoring resources in mentoring programs across Oklahoma.
Posted on April 23, 2024 by eporter
Mentoring Central Recognized on the 2024 National Corporate Mentoring Honor Roll
Mentoring Central, a division of innovation Research & Training (iRT), is pleased to announce that it has joined MENTOR’s 2024 National Corporate Mentoring Honor Roll.
Posted on March 25, 2024 by eporter
Latest Funding Opportunities for Mentoring Programs
The U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) recently announced 2024 funding opportunities for youth-serving organizations and programs, including youth mentoring programs. The OJJDP’s Youth Mentoring Program Grants program is the only mentoring-specific grant program funded by U.S. Congress. The OJJDP’s latest announced solicitations that are relevant to mentoring programs include the 2024 National Mentoring Programs grant, the 2024 Opioid Affected Youth Initiative grant, and the 2024 Second Chance Act Youth Reentry Program grant. These grants provide support to mentoring programs, so you can offer evidence-based training to your mentors, provide high-quality resources and activities to matches, employ a team of professional mentoring program staff, evaluate your program, and more.
Posted on by eporter
Recent Research Supporting STEM Mentoring for Traditionally Underrepresented Youth
Recent research indicates that opportunities for students to explore their interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are growing. The Afterschool Alliance’s 2021 America After 3PM Special Report states that among approximately 31,000 randomly selected parents of school-aged children in the United States, 39% reported that their child’s school offered a technology- or engineering-related afterschool program in 2020. This was a significant increase compared to findings from 2014 surveys which indicated that only 30% of schools offered engineering and technology learning opportunities in afterschool programs. Science-related afterschool programs increased from 46% in 2014 to 49% in 2020, and math-related programs increased from 60% to 62%.
Posted on February 27, 2024 by eporter
Mentoring Central Shares STEM Mentoring Research at 2024 National Mentoring Summit
Mentoring Central Researchers Dr. Katie Stump, Dr. Rebecca Stelter, and Yontii Wheeler co-led an interactive workshop at the 2024 National Mentoring Summit in Washington, DC, last month. Each year, mentoring professionals and advocates from across the nation gather for the annual National Mentoring Summit, convened by MENTOR, to share best practices, reflect on recent research and developments, and discuss future directions related to mentoring. The 14th annual Mentoring Summit was held January 24-26, 2024 and provided opportunities for attendees to form new connections and learn new strategies for strengthening and expanding the youth mentoring movement.
Posted on February 13, 2024 by eporter
Mentoring Central President Presents at the 2024 National Mentoring Summit
Mentoring Central President Dr. Janis Kupersmidt co-led a workshop at the 14th annual National Mentoring Summit in Washington, DC, last month to discuss the need for additional training for mentors who are serving youth impacted by substance misuse.
Posted on January 19, 2024 by eporter
Mentoring Central Welcomes New Research Intern
Mentoring Central is pleased to welcome Abbey Collins to its team of skilled, world-renowned researchers and creative professionals. Collins joined Mentoring Central, a division of iRT, this month as a research intern to contribute to the research and development of high-quality mentor trainings on topics related to cultural competency.
Posted on January 17, 2024 by eporter
Mentor Training for Supporting Mentees During the Nationwide Addiction Crisis
The national opioid crisis has grown exponentially since 2020, possibly due to reduced access to interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the mental health crisis that followed. During a 12-month period between 2022 and 2023, the number of drug overdose deaths in the United States reached a record-high of approximately 109,000.1 In addition, trends in substance use have evolved in recent years, making it increasingly difficult to thwart the addiction crisis. Polysubstance use has become increasingly common, with rates of cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl use rising alongside opioid use. Recent data has shown that 70-80% of people who are addicted to opioids also use other illicit substances.2
Posted on December 20, 2023 by eporter
Plan My Ride Receives a LearnX Award for Best Accessibility
iRT is pleased to announce that it received the 2023 Diamond Award from LearnX® for Best Accessibility in the Best eLearning Design category for the Plan My Ride eLearning course.
Posted on December 19, 2023 by eporter
STEM Mentors and Mentoring Program Staff Report Satisfaction with New Mentor Training Course
The number of youth who are pursuing higher education or careers in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) has declined rapidly in recent years. In addition, girls, youth with disabilities, youth from low-income families, youth who are or will be first-generation college students, youth who are immigrants or refugees, and youth from ethnic or racial minority groups are underrepresented in STEM fields. Many STEM mentoring programs have been established to address the national shortage of youth pursuing futures in STEM. By providing youth with opportunities to create a meaningful relationship with a supportive adult and explore their interests in STEM subjects, these mentoring programs may help engage, recruit, and retain youth of diverse races, abilities, and backgrounds in STEM.