NEWS

MENTOR Rhode Island awards $500,000 to support 21 RI youth mentoring programs

Posted 9/13/22

MENTOR Rhode Island is providing a total of $500,000 in funding support to 21 youth mentoring programs across the state through its new “Rhode to Success” initiative. The funds are part …

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NEWS

MENTOR Rhode Island awards $500,000 to support 21 RI youth mentoring programs

Posted

MENTOR Rhode Island is providing a total of $500,000 in funding support to 21 youth mentoring programs across the state through its new “Rhode to Success” initiative. The funds are part of an $800,000 Congressional Directed Spending award MENTOR Rhode Island received through the office of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and the federal Department of Education.

“After the last couple of years, we are all realizing just how important relationships are to our well-being and our humanity,” says MENTOR Rhode Island President & CEO Jo-Ann Schofield. “The social isolation, fear, disruption of routines, and tremendouas sense of loss for so many young people have compounded the trauma youth with risk factors already face. Positive relationships with caring mentors are critically important to helping young people navigate their reactions to that trauma, avoid expressing their pain in destructive ways, and get back on track in school.”

After a thorough application process, MENTOR Rhode Island and a group of independent reviewers identified the 21 organizations who will participate in the initiative. In addition to the funding, each organization will participate in a community of practice that will foster collaboration, teach best practices based in the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring™, the nationally recognized, evidence-based, best practices in the youth mentoring field, and build relationships among participants.

The projects funded through the Rhode to Success initiative are expected to impact more than 1,000 youth in grades K-12 across the state, with all 5 counties represented. The projects will also support a wide swath of the state’s youth demographics including race, ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status. Some also focus on specific youth populations that may experience increased risk factors including youth that are refugees and those in foster care.

Staff from all 21 programs will take part in an intensive two-day training and orientation. MENTOR Rhode Island will use its expertise in youth mentoring to support these mentoring professionals and increase the web of support for the youth served through this initiative. As an affiliate of MENTOR National, MENTOR RI is the sole local provider of technical assistance for the National Mentoring Resource Center, funded through the Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention. MENTOR RI also has access to the latest research and employs two nationally recognized Master Trainers in the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring™.

As an additional opportunity through this initiative, MENTOR RI will provide FREE training to organizations, corporations, and others in Everyday Mentoring, to give all individuals who interact with youth, personally or professionally, the skills to develop a mentoring mindset, equip them to serve youth’s needs, and inspire them to be more intentional in their role as a naturally occurring mentor.

Want to help with this project? Please visit https://mentorri.org/become-a-mentor/ to fill out an inquiry form to learn more about becoming a mentor!

MENTOR Rhode Island: The RI Mentoring Partnership, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit with more than 30-years’ experience in the youth mentoring field. The organization is dedicated to the expansion of quality mentoring services for youth by working with them directly, connecting them to mentoring opportunities, and sharing our expertise in the best practices in mentoring with others who strive to inspire and empower them. The mission is to ensure youth have access to the motivational and supportive relationships they need to grow into confident, successful adults.

mentor, mentoring

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