Every child who needs a mentor
                           should have a mentor.
 




Training Recap and Upcoming Trainings 

Team EXCEL Training Group

Virginia Mentoring Partnership program staff have been hard at work during the past month providing trainings to over 600 volunteer mentors in preparation for their mentoring relationships. Thank you to all of our enthusiastic participants who recognize the importance of training in establishing high quality, sustainable relationships!


Carver Promise Training Group

As the academic year is just beginning, make sure your mentors are well-trained and prepared for their relationships. VMP's New Mentor Training covers relationship building, communication techniques, boundary setting, and positive youth development.

Trainings open to the general public will be held:
  • October 13th, 5:30-8pm
  • October 18th, 5:30-8pm
  • October 27th, 5:30-8pm
Click here to learn more and register.  Want to schedule a private, on-site training for your program? Fill out a request form here.
 


Link to Learning

Are you interested in Ted Talks, short news clips, or other quick, engaging ways to learn about topics? The Chronicle of Evidence Based Mentoring has developed a podcast series, Mentor U, featuring 5-10 minute stories. This entertaining series, "like NPR for Mentoring," spotlights  the latest mentoring research, relevant topics, celebrity reflections, and new perspectives on mentoring.

To check out recent recordings or to subscribe to the podcast, click here.
 


 Stay connected! Follow VMP on Facebook and Twitter.

Virginia Mentoring Partnership
2500 W. Broad St, Third Floor
Richmond, VA 23220
804-828-1536
September is Attendance Awareness Month 
In September, the Attendance Works campaign engaged schools and youth programs across the country to raise awareness about the impact of chronic absence. According to research,  one in eight students across the nation miss 15 or more days of school a year. Why does this matter? Starting as early as preschool and kindergarten, chronic absenteeism - missing 10 percent of the academic year- can leave third graders unable to read proficiently, sixth graders struggling with coursework, and high school students off track for graduation.

We also know that mentoring plays an important role in improving attendance. Research shows that:
  • Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school.
  • Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 37% less likely than their peers to skip a class.
  • Students at-risk for not graduating were 36% more likely to aspire to enroll in and graduate from college if they had a mentor.
Check out more research about the importance of attendance from Attendance Works, and learn more about actions you can take as a volunteer, parent, teacher, or community member to address this issue. 


A Special Thanks for Our Donors
Virginia Mentoring Partnership thanks the 126 generous donors who contributed to our "Back to School Campaign" between August 1 and September 15, 2016. With your support, we raised over $15,500! These funds will help VMP towards our goal of training 2000 mentors during this school year.  
 
For their return to the classroom, kids stock their backpacks with new notebooks and pens. In preparing for the school year, mentors need a back-to-school supply kit of their own! VMP provides mentors with training, coaching and tools to help kids navigate the ups and downs of today's world. Since August, VMP has already trained more than 600 new mentors, and this campaign has helped us to provide this important service at low or no cost to our partners.
 
Thank you to all of our donors, board members, friends, and family for your support. If you are interesting in donating, please click the button below. We appreciate your support!  




VMP's VISTA Program Featured in Blog Post

Check out VMP's recent feature in MENTOR's In Real Life Blog Series. VMP Executive Director Elizabeth Bass described the goals of VMP's AmeriCorps VISTA program, including reflections from former VMP VISTA at Peter Paul Development Center, Jessica Grove, and VISTA Supervisor Vanessa Reyes. 

This fall, VMP welcomes our fifth cohort of VISTAs, which consists of thirteen members placed at mentoring host sites across the state. Elizabeth described the tone of their first meeting as a group: "Their enthusiasm and passion for service filled our offices with an inspiring energy. The spirit of volunteerism is strong and the charge is clear: work to overcome poverty, build organizational capacity, and create a sustainable future for young people in our communities."
 
Thank you to our VISTA members for their commitment to a year of service supporting mentoring programs! Learn more about VMP's VISTA program here.
 


Virginia Mentoring Partnership is a 501 (c) 3 organization that is supported by grants, corporate donations, individual d onations and in-kind services.  For more information or to support our organization please visit us at 
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