Press Releases

2026-02-18

Stay in Touch with Mentoring Central After the 2026 National Mentoring Summit

Mentoring Central, a division of innovation Research & Training (iRT), was pleased to connect with mentoring program staff members, researchers, and professionals in the field of mentoring at MENTOR’s 2026 National Mentoring Summit.

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2026-02-09

Mentoring Central Welcomes Angelika Santero to the Team

Angelika Santero has joined Mentoring Central as the newest member of our team of interdisciplinary research scientists, research assistants, web developers, multimedia designers, and more. Mentoring Central is pleased to welcome Santero as an intern through the Karen M. Gil Internship Program, which we have supported and participated in for several years.

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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

Leveraging Mentoring Central to Strengthen Mentoring in Oklahoma

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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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

2026-04-22
Start Enhancing Your School-Based Mentoring Program for Next Year

By eporter

Start Enhancing Your School-Based Mentoring Program for Next Year

School is one of the most common settings for formal mentoring relationships in the United States. If your school-based mentoring program follows the academic calendar, with new matches initiating at the start of the school year, now is the perfect time to begin planning for next year.

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2026-03-17
Helping Mentees Finish the School Year Strong: Building a Growth Mindset

By eporter

Helping Mentees Finish the School Year Strong: Building a Growth Mindset

As the school year draws to a close, many students begin to lose momentum. Final projects, standardized testing, and the anticipation of summer break can make it difficult to stay focused and motivated. For some students, this time of year can feel overwhelming, especially if they are struggling academically or feeling discouraged about their progress. Mentors can play an important role during the end of the school year by helping students develop a growth mindset.

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2026-03-16
Offer State-of-the-Art Mentoring Training Opportunities with Mentoring Central’s Annual Membership

By eporter

Offer State-of-the-Art Mentoring Training Opportunities with Mentoring Central’s Annual Membership

Mentoring programs have enormous impact on youth across the country, but managing a mentoring program is not without its challenges. Program staff are responsible for recruiting mentors; preparing staff volunteers, mentees, and parents of mentees; supporting matches; tracking progress; and evaluating program outcomes, often with limited staff time and budgets. For many organizations, the challenge is not lack of commitment to quality program practices. It is having the right tools and resources to support their work.

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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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