Engaging Youth in Mentoring Programs & Relationships

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Engaging Youth in Mentoring Programs & Relationships Collaboration of Education Northwest/National Mentoring Center, Friends for Youth, Indiana Mentoring Partnership, Mentor Michigan, Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota, and Oregon Mentors April 2012 2012 Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series

description

Presented April 19, 2012 - Part of 2012 Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series. Education Northwest/National Mentoring Center, Friends For Youth, Indiana Mentoring Partnership, Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota, Mentor Michigan, Oregon Mentors and other partners are working together in 2012 to deliver this free monthly webinar series for mentoring professionals. For updates about upcoming webinars, join and follow the Collaborative Mentoring Series discussion area on the Mentoring Forums at http://mentoringforums.educationnorthwest.org/forum/26.

Transcript of Engaging Youth in Mentoring Programs & Relationships

Page 1: Engaging Youth in Mentoring Programs & Relationships

Engaging Youth in Mentoring Programs &

Relationships

Collaboration of Education Northwest/National Mentoring Center, Friends

for Youth, Indiana Mentoring Partnership, Mentor Michigan, Mentoring

Partnership of Minnesota, and Oregon Mentors

April 2012

2012 Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series

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Good to Know…

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All attendees will receive an email after the webinar

that will include:

Instructions for how to access PDF of

presentation slides and webinar recording

Link to the Mentoring Forum for resources,

contact information & opportunities to continue

the dialogue

Please help us by taking the time to complete a

short 5-question survey as you exit the webinar.

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2012 Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series

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Amber Troupe

Director

Mentor Michigan

April Riordan

Director of Training & Community

Partnerships

Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota

Michael Garringer

Resource Advisor & Forums

Administrator

National Mentoring Center at

Education Northwest

o Research

o Practice

o Innovation

Date: Third Thursday of every

month.

Time: 10-11:15am Pacific/11am-

12:15pm Mountain/12-1:15 pm

Central/1-2:15pm Eastern

Cost: Free

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Participate in Today’s Webinar

• All attendees muted for best

sound

• Type questions and

comments in the question

box

• We may invite you to “raise

your hand” during interactive

activities

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Today’s Webinar

1. What is Youth Engagement? – Why does it matter for mentoring programs?

How do we do it? What gets in the way?

2. Youth Engagement in Action – National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC)

– Youthprise & MN Alliance with Youth

– YouthBuild USA – National Mentoring Alliance

3. Q & A

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What is Youth Engagement?

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Broadly defined…

Experiences where

youth are “actively

involved in cognitive

and social

endeavors that

promote growth.” (Weiss, Little & Bouffard, 2005)

Our definition… for now.

Getting youth to care

about, and be

involved in, the world

around them through

acts of adults caring

about, and being

involved in, youth

themselves.

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What Does this Look Like?

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(Forum for Youth Investment, 2007)

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Levels of Engagement

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• Engagement in the community

(addressing big-picture concerns)

• Engagement in a program

(buying into support and services)

• Engagement with people

(relationships with caring adults)

Authentic youth-adult relationships are at the

heart of all youth engagement experiences,

both formal and informal. (Sullivan, 2011)

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The Youth Engagement Continuum

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(Forum for Youth Investment, 2007)

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Why Engagement?

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• Enables young people get the help

and support they need (via programs)

• Enables young people to access

resources and ideas beyond a

program setting

• Creates adult-youth understanding

• Power of collective action for social

transformation

Engaged

youth =

engaged adult

citizens down

the road

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Why Engagement?

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It’s at the core of good youth development…

1. Participate as citizens

2. Gain experience in decision making

3. Interact with peers and acquire a sense of belonging

4. Reflect on self in relation to others

5. Discuss conflicting values and formulate their own value system

6. Experiment with their own identity, with relationships to other people, with ideas

7. Develop a feeling of accountability in the context of a relationship among equals

8. Cultivate a capacity to enjoy life

(Konopka, Requirements For Healthy Development of Adolescent Youth, 1973)

All of these require engagement and solid relationships with adults and peers

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Unfortunately…

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According to the Search Institute,

almost 40% of 15 year olds don’t

score high on any of their three

engagement scales

Older youth are far less likely to be

“engaged” (they control

participation, not a parent)

Shifts in attitudes about youth

(behavior, culture, values) have

hurt generational relations

Social trends have left citizens of

all ages less engaged with one

another:

privatization of leisure time

labor market changes

suburban sprawl

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How Do We Engage Youth?

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Keys to Engaging Older Youth

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Programs with:

1) Developmental

opportunities for

leadership

2) Voice

3) Choice

4) Academic success

5) Workforce readiness

(Harvard Family Research Project. Harris, 2008)

Key Components:

1) Allowing youth to be creators of

their own afterschool experiences

2) Quality standards that are asset-

based

3) Staff who are credible and trained

to work with middle school youth

4) Programs that balance a

connection to and are independent

from school and maintain family

connections.

(National Institute for Out-of-School Time, 2008)

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Barriers to Engagement

• Lack of interest on

the part of youth

• Unaware of

programs

• Transportation

issues

• Other OST

responsibilities

(Saito, 2009)

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Mentoring: A Pathway to Youth Engagement

True engagement with a mentor brings:

• Increased participation in the relationship

• Bonding with the overall program

• Increased use of other supports (both in program and out)

• Opportunity to use new skills and personal values

• Skills for connecting with other mentors and caring adults

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How Do Mentors Engage Youth?

• Finding the right blend of purposefulness

and personal connection

• Giving the youth voice and choice

• Consistent interaction

• Opportunities to contribute to the world

around them

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A good mentor will foster personal

growth, but also teach a young person

how to DO SOMETHING with all that

growth.

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What Do Youth Say About Engagement?

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1. Spend time talking with

us

2. Listen, don’t multi-task or

get distracted when

you’re with us

3. Respond to our e-mail,

voice and text messages

4. Do what you say you are

going to do

5. Show appreciation for

what we do

6. Relax, don’t feel like you

have to be on your guard

7. Laugh with us

8. Attend our concerts,

games and other events

9. Show that you have

confidence in us

10. Ask us to help you, and

to show you what we can

do

11. Teach us what you know

12. Push us to do our best

(Scales et al., 2010)

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National Youth Leadership Council

Since 2007 Amanda has been working with

NYLC on school-based programs,

professional development, and supporting

our youth programs. Amanda now leads

NYLC’s youth initiatives programming,

including the work of our Youth Advisory

Council and the National Youth Leadership

Training. Her youth work experiences

include leading after-school academic and

extracurricular programs, summer

residential and adventure camp

experiences, and semester-long leadership

development courses.

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AMANDA LARSON

PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER,

YOUTH INITIATIVES LEAD

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National Youth Leadership Council

Generator School Network

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K-12 Service-Learning Standards for

Quality Practice

Meaningful Service

Link to Curriculum

Reflection

Diversity

Partnerships

Progress Monitoring

Duration and Intensity

Youth Voice

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Youth Voice

Creating an Environment open for

Ideas

Youth Generated Ideas

Decision Making

Acquisition of Knowledge and Skills

Evaluation

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High school dropout rates

10%

Why is student voice important?

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YOUTH ADULT

Nuts & Bolts: Youth/Adult Roles

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Understanding the spectrum: youth as

partners

Adam Fletcher. (2006) Washington Youth Voice Handbook

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Achieving a balance: tips, tricks

& challenges

Adapted from: Adam Fletcher. (2006) Washington Youth Voice Handbook

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www.lift.nylc.org

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Learn. Plan. Connect.

Generator School Network

• Free

• 1500+ Members

• 300+ Projects

• 900+ Resources

www.gsn.nylc.org

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Smart. Achievement Gap Training

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National Youth Leadership Training

July 14-21, 2012

Sandstone, MN

Registration due May 11

www.nylc.org/nylt

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National Youth Leadership Council

www.nylc.org

Amanda Larson, Youth Initiatives Lead

[email protected], 651.999.7362

For more information

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Youthprise & Minnesota Alliance with Youth

Libby Rau develops statewide

infrastructure for youth engagement in

public policy and philanthropy. Libby’s

job is a creative arrangement to

ensure youth leadership in Youthprise

– she works half time with the

Minnesota Alliance With Youth and half

time with Youthprise.

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Libby Rau, Youth Engagement

Strategist

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COST SHARED POSITION

In collaboration with MN Alliance with Youth & Youthprise

1 position description

Shared vision and goals

Collective impact

Leverage resources

Model of authentic partnership

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MINNESOTA YOUTH COUNCIL

State-wide council 36 youth and 36 adult partners (4 in each of the 8 congressional districts and 4 at large)

Youth Adult Partnership Model

Policy/Advocacy

Philanthropy

Education/Outreach

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WHO WE ARE

OUR MISSION: We champion learning beyond the classroom so

that all Minnesota’s youth thrive.

OUR VISION: Minnesota will lead the nation in accelerating

leadership and innovation beyond the classroom; ensuring that:

Every young person is included and engaged.

Every family has access.

Every program has support to ensure quality and impact.

Every community has a clear plan—for youth and with youth.

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OUR GOALS

Mobilize the power of youth to enliven, expand and transform programs and systems.

Expand access to quality learning experiences that prepare youth for

education, work and civic life.

Advance integrated, community-based systems that increase

opportunities and improve outcomes for all youth.

Leverage and grow resources to close the opportunity gap for under-engaged and under-served youth.

Ignite public insistence on engaging, accessible, quality learning

opportunities for all youth.

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•INTERMEDIARY

•FUNDER

•MN’S STATEWIDE

AFTERSCHOOL ALLIANCE

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INTERMEDIARY

Research & Development

Educate & Train

Tools and Technology to

Connect and Communicate

Resource & Infrastructure

Development

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FUNDER

Grants

Partnerships

Influence grantmaking by

funders in areas of program

quality and data collection

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MN STATEWIDE

AFTERSCHOOL ALLIANCE

Public Policy Advocacy

Learning Communities

Specific Convening

of Networks

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SUPPORTING YOUTH SUCCESS

Formal Learning: k-12, higher and vocational education

Non-Formal Learning: learning beyond the classroom,

summer programs, sports programs, youth councils

Informal Learning: learning to cook with a parent, learning

to fix a car with a neighbor

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Minnesota Youth Council

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MISSION

The Youth Council, in

collaboration with youth-adult

partnerships within

communities and across the

state, provides youth with a

forum to exercise their voice

by connecting and mobilizing

youth voice and youth action,

discussing policy issues, and

advising the work of the

Minnesota Alliance With

Youth and its partners.

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Support Youth Success Formal Non-formal Informal

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Tommy L. McClam is an nationally

sought-after speaker. He offers a

wide range of services to

community, faith -based

organizations, schools,

corporations, professional

associations, and government

agencies seeking comprehensive

guidance in planning and

implementing safe and effective

mentoring programs for youth and

adults.

YouthBuild – National Mentoring Alliance

Pastor Tommy McClam

Program Director

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Century Center for Economic

Opportunity (CCEO) YouthBuild

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David Durand, Mentor Leadership

Coordinator

David’s experience began in college

where he tutored and mentored

minority youth in the low-income

communities. David was a curriculum

coordinator for City Year Los Angeles,

providing high school youth the

means to express themselves against

social injustices through workshops

and community service. Now, he

cultivates youth leaders from the

worst areas of Los Angeles by

providing tools to make social change

and opportunities to apply what they

have learned in service to their

communities.

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Before we go…

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All attendees will receive an email after the webinar

that will include:

Instructions for how to access PDF of

presentation slides and webinar recording

Link to the Mentoring Forum for resources,

contact information & opportunities to continue

the dialogue

Please help us by taking the time to complete a

short 5-question survey as you exit the webinar.

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Future Webinars

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May 17 - STEM Mentoring for Youth

with Disabilities

Youth with disabilities, along with girls and

racial/ethnic minorities are under-

represented in Science, Technology,

Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields.

Mentoring is one approach that has been

identified as a promising practice. Panelists

will include Laurie Powers and Jo-Ann

Sowers, both from Portland State

University.

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Collaboration of Education Northwest/National Mentoring Center, Friends

for Youth, Indiana Mentoring Partnership, Mentor Michigan, Mentoring

Partnership of Minnesota, and Oregon Mentors

2012 Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series

Thank you! Michael Garringer, [email protected]

Celeste Janssen, [email protected] Sarah Kremer, [email protected]

April Riordan, [email protected] Amber Troupe, [email protected]

December Warren, [email protected]