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Engaging Youth in Mentoring Programs & Relationships
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Transcript of 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
Good to Know…
1
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.
2012 Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series
2
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
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
3
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.
What Does this Look Like?
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(Forum for Youth Investment, 2007)
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)
The Youth Engagement Continuum
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(Forum for Youth Investment, 2007)
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
Why Engagement?
10
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
Unfortunately…
11
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
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)
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
15 15
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
16 16 16
A good mentor will foster personal
growth, but also teach a young person
how to DO SOMETHING with all that
growth.
What Do Youth Say About Engagement?
17
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)
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
National Youth Leadership Council
Generator School Network
K-12 Service-Learning Standards for
Quality Practice
Meaningful Service
Link to Curriculum
Reflection
Diversity
Partnerships
Progress Monitoring
Duration and Intensity
Youth Voice
Youth Voice
Creating an Environment open for
Ideas
Youth Generated Ideas
Decision Making
Acquisition of Knowledge and Skills
Evaluation
High school dropout rates
10%
Why is student voice important?
YOUTH ADULT
Nuts & Bolts: Youth/Adult Roles
Understanding the spectrum: youth as
partners
Adam Fletcher. (2006) Washington Youth Voice Handbook
Achieving a balance: tips, tricks
& challenges
Adapted from: Adam Fletcher. (2006) Washington Youth Voice Handbook
www.lift.nylc.org
Learn. Plan. Connect.
Generator School Network
• Free
• 1500+ Members
• 300+ Projects
• 900+ Resources
www.gsn.nylc.org
Smart. Achievement Gap Training
National Youth Leadership Training
July 14-21, 2012
Sandstone, MN
Registration due May 11
www.nylc.org/nylt
National Youth Leadership Council
www.nylc.org
Amanda Larson, Youth Initiatives Lead
[email protected], 651.999.7362
For more information
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
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
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
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.
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.
•INTERMEDIARY
•FUNDER
•MN’S STATEWIDE
AFTERSCHOOL ALLIANCE
INTERMEDIARY
Research & Development
Educate & Train
Tools and Technology to
Connect and Communicate
Resource & Infrastructure
Development
FUNDER
Grants
Partnerships
Influence grantmaking by
funders in areas of program
quality and data collection
MN STATEWIDE
AFTERSCHOOL ALLIANCE
Public Policy Advocacy
Learning Communities
Specific Convening
of Networks
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
Minnesota Youth Council
43
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.
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
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…
51
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.
Future Webinars
52
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.
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]