What is Mentoring? For the purpose of the Youth Mentoring Network, mentoring aims to provide a structured and trusting relationship that brings young people together with caring individuals who offer guidance, support and encouragement. (Adapted from Mentor/National Mentoring Partnership and Robyn Hartley's "Young people and mentoring: towards a national strategy" 2004 Report)
How to Use These Resources Depending on what stage you are at with your program will depend on which resources you will find more useful.
Thinking about or starting a mentoring program
If you are thinking about starting a program or you have decided mentoring is the program for your community, but don't know where to begin, here are some useful resources for you. Start with getting to know the Benchmarks and best practice models for mentoring programs. The benchmarks are based on results of research examining what features make a successful mentoring program. You can learn more about what makes a successful mentoring program by looking through the Setting up a Program? section. If after visiting these two sections you still have questions then you can contcat your local support network or your local personal support person. In this section you will find the contact details of people who have worked in the youth mentoring field for a number of years and have volunteered to help answer any questions that you may have about setting up a program.
Everyday Program Management Issues
Your program is up and running! Resources you may find useful include the Benchmarks, Funding, Recruitment /Screening/ Training, Program Management, and Sample Tools. The Benchmarks are a good source to ensure your program is still meeting best practice standards and are particularly useful when applying for funding submissions and grants. The Funding section provides a comprehensive list of national and state based funding opportunities relevant to youth and the mentoring field.
Recruitment/ Screening / Training section contains publications, sample tools and links to websites that will provide you with both research and training materials to help you develop a comprehensive recruitment and screening policy. It also contains links to sample training manuals, games and other resources that will help you develop a training program that suits your consumers' needs.
Program Management looks at how to match your mentoring pairs, provide ongoing support and establish partnerships with local businesses, schools and community groups.
Evaluating your program
The Evaluation section provides you with access to resources that will assist with completing an evaluation on your program whether it is for funding purposes, annual reports or part of a strategic planning process.
