Elements of Effective Practice

The Mentoring Partnership of Long Island works with interested parties to start new mentoring programs by helping each program incorporate the Elements of Effective Practice. That is, each new program ideally should have

• A statement of purpose and at the minimum, a one year operating plan
• A recruitment plan for mentors
• An orientation for mentors
• Eligibility screening for mentors
• A readiness and training program
• A matching strategy to match children with mentors
• A monitoring process
• A support and recognition component
• An evaluation process

The Mentoring Partnership assists in all these areas. More specifically, through our Mentoring Academy, we offer a series of courses to train both program supervisors and participating mentors. Courses offered include the following. Check the calendar on this website to find the dates most convenient to you:

Classes for Mentors:

• Mentoring 101:
  
  How to do it - what is and what is not working with youth. Getting started. Making the most of your time. Dealing with confidentiality. Helping set goals and limits. Having fun.
  
  Who should attend: Any adult who will have a mentoring relationship with a child/youth. Also, anyone interested in learning more about mentoring. Classes last about 2 hours.
  
  
• Advanced Topics in Mentoring:
  
  Expand your mentoring expertise with one of our advanced classes. All are free to mentors. Pick one or several.
  
  
• Mentoring 201:
  
  Making the Most of Your Time Together: Activities That Promote Successful Mentoring
  
  
• Mentoring 202:
  
  Tutoring Strategies for Mentors
  
  
• Mentoring 203:
  
  Experienced Mentors Share Their Stories: Case Studies in Mentoring

Classes for Mentoring Coordinators:

• The ABC's of Mentoring:
  
  Start a program for your school, agency or organization. Plan for mission, funding, recruiting and screening, staffing, liability, publicity, etc. Sample materials to use and adapt.
  
  Materials/lunch fee is $25. Sliding scale fees and scholarships are available.
  
  
• ABC's of Mentoring: PART 2:
  
  Finish developing your program. Bring materials for review, plans to share and obstacles that need solutions. This 2 hour session will help put the finishing touches on your plan

Program Workshops:

• Roundtable meetings:
  
  For program coordinators. Information, networking and exchanging ideas. Build collaborations and learn from each other. Topic discussion followed by networking. Who should attend: Program coordinators
  • Recruiting Mentors
  • Interacting with Families
  • Evaluating Your Program
  
  
  
• Mentoring Day by Day:
  Running a Mentoring Program
  
  Join us for this NEW class for program coordinators. Covers guidelines for assisting and supporting mentors, recruiting and training new mentors, working with families and children, finding resources and tools as well as evaluating and improving programs. This course is a natural sequel to The ABC's of Mentoring but can also be taken on its on.
  
  
• Train the Trainer:
  
  How to train your own mentors. Materials and tools to make your own program-specific training for mentors. Tips to engage volunteers and manage expectations. Who should attend: Program coordinators/trainers

In addition to the mentoring Academy classes and roundtables, we make available a comprehensive evaluation tool called "What's Working" to help programs monitor and measure the impact of their programs over time.