The 2012 Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series focused on engaging youth in mentoring programs through discussions on youth engagement, its importance, and barriers to participation. Various organizations collaborated to provide resources for attendees, emphasizing the benefits of youth-adult relationships in promoting development and involvement in the community. The webinar included insights on effective mentorship practices and programs aimed at enhancing youth leadership and advocacy.

1. 2012 Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series
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

2. Good to Know…
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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3. 2012 Collaborative Mentoring
Webinar Series
Michael Garringer
o Research Resource Advisor & Forums
o Practice Administrator
National Mentoring Center at
o Innovation Education Northwest
Amber Troupe
Date: Third Thursday of every Director
month. Mentor Michigan
Time: 10-11:15am Pacific/11am-
12:15pm Mountain/12-1:15 pm April Riordan
Central/1-2:15pm Eastern Director of Training & Community
Partnerships
Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota
Cost: Free
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4. 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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5. 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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6. What is Youth Engagement?
Our definition… for now.
Broadly defined…
Getting youth to care
Experiences where
about, and be
youth are “actively
involved in, the world
involved in cognitive
around them through
and social
acts of adults caring
endeavors that
about, and being
promote growth.”
involved in, 2005)
(Weiss, Little & Bouffard, youth
themselves.
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7. What Does this Look Like?
(Forum for Youth Investment, 2007)
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8. Levels of Engagement
• Engagement in the community
(addressing big-picture concerns)
• Engagement in a relationships are at the
Authentic youth-adult program
heart of allinto support and services)
(buying youth engagement experiences,
both formal and informal.
(Sullivan, 2011)
• Engagement with people
(relationships with caring adults)
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9. The Youth Engagement Continuum
(Forum for Youth Investment, 2007)
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10. Why Engagement?
• Enables young people get the help
and support they need (via programs)
Engaged
• Enables young people to access youth =
resources and ideas beyond a engaged adult
program setting
citizens down
• Creates adult-youth understanding the road
• Power of collective action for social
transformation
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11. Why Engagement?
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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12. Unfortunately…
According to the Search Institute, Social trends have left citizens of
almost 40% of 15 year olds don’t all ages less engaged with one
score high on any of their three another:
engagement scales
 privatization of leisure time
Older youth are far less likely to be  labor market changes
“engaged” (they control  suburban sprawl
participation, not a parent)
Shifts in attitudes about youth
(behavior, culture, values) have
hurt generational relations
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13. How Do We Engage Youth?
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14. Keys to Engaging Older Youth
Programs with: Key Components:
1) Developmental 1) Allowing youth to be creators of
opportunities for their own afterschool experiences
leadership 2) Quality standards that are asset-
2) Voice based
3) Choice 3) Staff who are credible and trained
4) Academic success to work with middle school youth
5) Workforce readiness 4) Programs that balance a
connection to and are independent
(Harvard Family Research Project. Harris, 2008)
from school and maintain family
connections.
(National Institute for Out-of-School Time, 2008)
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15. 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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16. 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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17. 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 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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18. What Do Youth Say About Engagement?
1. Spend time talking with 7. Laugh with us
us 8. Attend our concerts,
2. Listen, don’t multi-task or games and other events
get distracted when 9. Show that you have
you’re with us confidence in us
3. Respond to our e-mail, 10. Ask us to help you, and
voice and text messages to show you what we can
4. Do what you say you are do
going to do 11. Teach us what you know
5. Show appreciation for 12. Push us to do our best
what we do
6. Relax, don’t feel like you
have to be on your guard (Scales et al., 2010)
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19. 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
AMANDA LARSON development courses.
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER,
YOUTH INITIATIVES LEAD
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20. National Youth Leadership Council
Generator School Network

21. K-12 Service-Learning Standards for
Quality Practice
Meaningful Service
Link to Curriculum
Reflection
Diversity
Partnerships
Progress Monitoring
Duration and Intensity
Youth Voice

23. Creating an
Environment open for
Ideas Decision Making
Evaluation
Youth Generated Ideas
Acquisition of Knowledge and
Skills
Youth Voice

24. Why is student voice important?
High school dropout rates
10%

25. Nuts & Bolts: Youth/Adult Roles
YOUTH ADULT

26. Understanding the spectrum: youth as
partners
Adam Fletcher. (2006) Washington Youth Voice Handbook

27. Achieving a balance: tips, tricks
& challenges
Adapted from: Adam Fletcher. (2006) Washington Youth Voice Handbook

28. www.lift.nylc.org

29. Learn. Plan. Connect.
Generator School Network
• Free
• 1500+ Members
• 300+ Projects
• 900+ Resources
www.gsn.nylc.org

30. Smart. Achievement Gap Training

31. National Youth Leadership Training
July 14-21, 2012
Sandstone, MN
Registration due May 11
www.nylc.org/nylt

32. For more information
National Youth Leadership Council
www.nylc.org
Amanda Larson, Youth Initiatives Lead
alarson@nylc.org, 651.999.7362

33. 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.
Libby Rau, Youth Engagement
Strategist
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35. 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

36. 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

37. 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.

38. 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.

39. •INTERMEDIARY
•FUNDER
•MN’S STATEWIDE
AFTERSCHOOL ALLIANCE

40.  Research & Development
 Educate & Train
INTERMEDIARY
 Tools
and Technology to
Connect and Communicate
 Resource
& Infrastructure
Development

41.  Grants
 Partnerships
FUNDER  Influencegrantmaking by
funders in areas of program
quality and data collection

42.  Public Policy Advocacy
MN
 Learning Communities
STATEWIDE
AFTERSCHOOL  Specific
Convening
of Networks
ALLIANCE

43. 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

44. Minnesota Youth Council
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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45. Support Youth Success
Formal Non-formal Informal

46. YouthBuild – National Mentoring Alliance
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.
Pastor Tommy McClam
Program Director
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47. Century Center for Economic
Opportunity (CCEO) YouthBuild
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
David Durand, Mentor Leadership
communities.
Coordinator
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52. Before we go…
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.
51

53. Future Webinars
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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54. 2012 Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series
Thank you!
Michael Garringer, michael.garringer@educationnorthwest.org
Celeste Janssen, celeste@oregonmentors.org
Sarah Kremer, sarah@friendsforyouth.org
April Riordan, april@mpmn.org
Amber Troupe, troupea@michigan.gov
December Warren, dwarren@iyi.org
Collaboration of Education Northwest/National Mentoring Center, Friends
for Youth, Indiana Mentoring Partnership, Mentor Michigan, Mentoring
Partnership of Minnesota, and Oregon Mentors