Press Releases

2025-12-16

Mentoring Central to Present at the 2026 National Mentoring Summit

Mentoring Central’s researchers and program developers will be presenting and exhibiting at the upcoming annual National Mentoring Summit. The team is looking forward connecting with other attendees and sharing our recent research and available resources for mentoring programs.

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2025-11-25

Mentoring Central is honored to continue our collaboration with the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth (OCCY) to provide high-quality mentoring trainings and services to mentoring programs across Oklahoma.

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2025-11-25

Connected Scholars Program Positively Impacts College Student Retention and Graduation Rates

Recently published research reported that the Connected Scholars program has significant positive impacts on college student retention and graduation rates.

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2025-10-22

Mentoring Central Can Help You Craft a Winning Proposal for OJJDP Grants

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has released its funding opportunities for mentoring programs. Mentoring Central is here to help you increase your chances of receiving a grant award to support your program. Below, read more about OJJDP’s open funding opportunities and how Mentoring Central can support you with your application. Read the full article…

2025-10-22

Plan My Ride Found to Effectively Impact Safe Driving Attitudes, Knowledge, and Beliefs

Distracted and impaired driving are two of the leading risk factors for vehicle crashes in the United States, and young people are at particularly high risk for engaging in these unsafe behaviors. iRT developed the Plan My Ride program with the goal of preventing distracted and impaired driving to support young drivers in staying safe on the road.

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Events

Webinar: Applying the EEPM 4 to Diverse Models and Youth Populations [free]

Applying the EEPM 4 to Diverse Models and Youth Populations [free]

2/25/16 1-2:30pm EST

~ 75 minutes

Applying the EEPM 4 to Diverse Models and Youth Populations will provide attendees with an interactive discussion on how the Elements of Effective Practice applies to mentoring programs given the diverse array of mentee and mentor populations and program models. In addition, we will solicit questions and feedback from attendees regarding how the EEPM applies to their programs.

Take the free training at: Free Mentoring Central

[Webinar] Risk Management Part 2 – 1pm (EST) Feb. 16, 2016

Risky Business (Part 2): Developing your mentoring program’s risk management policies [free]

Take the Free Training at Free Mentoring Central

A mentoring relationship cannot be considered effective unless it is safe. Training on ethics and safety in mentoring is critical to ensuring the health and well-being of mentees and mentors. The recently released Fourth Edition of the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring (EEPM) identified a set of risk management topics that programs should address in their policies and include in their training of mentors, mentees, and parent or guardians. This three-part webinar series will focus on how mentoring programs can decrease the potential for harm to anyone involved in a mentoring relationship.

Join our expert researchers (Drs. Janis Kupersmidt and Rebecca Stelter) and practitioner (Ms. Sharon Daura) who will provide a thorough exploration of the 19 risk management topics outlined in the EEPM, with the goal of helping you to fine-tune your existing program policies or develop new ones.  After you attend these webinars, you will understand the importance and relevance of each topic for mentoring as well as key issues to address in your policies.  Future training will focus on how to conduct mentor, mentee, and parent or guardian training on these policies.

The second webinar in the series focuses on issues to consider in a mentoring program’s risk management policies and practices that are related to communications by mentors, mentees, parents or guardians, and the mentoring program with individuals, organizations, and media outlets that are outside of the mentoring relationship.

Celebrating 25 Years of the Youth Mentoring Movement

Monday, November 9, New York City—The National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR) is proud to celebrate 25 years of building and unifying a youth mentoring movement in 2015! This yearlong celebration will include a special event at The Plaza Hotel on Monday, November 9 honoring MENTOR’s co-founders and commemorating a quarter of a century of milestones and achievements in the field. More on this celebration: bit.ly/1Hh0WIe.

Advanced Screening

November 17, Boston–Join Mass Mentoring Partnership for an advanced training that will build upon the basics of screening. Participants will have the opportunity to refine program eligibility requirements, receive feedback on program applications and interview forms, enhance awareness of red flags, and practice relevant steps in the screening process.  Participants will receive MMP’s Advanced Screening Workbook which contains useful tools and templates to support screening of volunteers and mentors. Register: bit.ly/1MP0gr1

National Mentoring Month: Amplifying Your Voice

November 19, 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m., EDT–Planning to participate in National Mentoring Month this January? Join this webinar to learn best practices for amplifying your voice during this yearly recruitment campaign. We will feature panelists from Midlands Mentoring Partnership in Nebraska, TeamMates Mentoring in Iowa and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mid-South in Tennessee. Each presenter will speak on a different way to engage throughout the month. Whether you represent a small, mid-size or large program, there will be plenty of useful information shared. Register now! Facilitated by MENTOR. For more information: bit.ly/1k5bGjb

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Blog

2025-12-16
Helping Mentors Reignite Student Engagement in School After the Holiday Break

By eporter

Helping Mentors Reignite Student Engagement in School After the Holiday Break

Around this time of year, many students are starting to experience burnout in school. Students often feel exhausted after completing final projects and exams at the end of the fall semester or start to lose motivation for schoolwork after several months of school without any major breaks. During the holidays, many students may be experiencing family and social obligations, financial stress, and loneliness that can make it hard for them to feel motivated to return to school after holiday break. For many students, returning to school after the holidays means entering a new semester with brand new classes and also, probably new classmates, starting new learning content, or beginning prep for major end-of-year tests or mandated exams. All these factors can make it difficult for students to feel or want to be engaged when they return to school.

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2025-05-29
A Guide to Establishing Relationships with Mentors as a Mentoring Program Staff Member

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.

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2025-05-29
Prevent Substance Use and Promote Healthy Decision-Making in Mentees: Incorporating Media Literacy Skill-Building Opportunities in Your Program

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…

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Jobs

2023-05-15
Business Development Associate

By eporter

POSITION TITLE: Business Development Associate
EMPLOYER: Innovation Research & Training
LOCATION (City, State): Durham, NC
WEBSITES: www.irtinc.us; www.mentoringcentral.net; www.preventioncentral.net
START DATE: Available immediately

Position Type: Full-time

Company Description: innovation Research & Training (iRT), a behavioral sciences research company, in Durham, North Carolina, seeks a full-time Business Development Associate who desires to join an outstanding team. iRT is a small, innovative company that specializes in research, development, evaluation, and dissemination of evidence-based prevention and intervention programs. Our mission is to create products and services with proven outcomes that improve the health and well-being of children, adolescents, young adults, families, and communities.

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