Development Opportunities for Mentoring Professionals
Maximizing Youth Voice: A Youth-Led Discussion
Thurs. 1/21 @ 1 - 2:15 pm

This webinar will feature a panel of youth mentees who will provide insights on ways mentoring programs can engage and support young people to ensure their voices are represented and elevated.
2021 Virtual National Mentoring Summit
Wed. 1/27 - Thurs. 1/29

The National Mentoring Summit is an annual opportunity for the mentoring field to expand knowledge of best practices and build relationships with other professionals.
February Community
Coffee Hour
Wed. 2/10 @ 9 - 10 am

Join MENTOR Virginia and fellow peer mentoring programs for a brainstorm discussion on mentoring strategies for building on community + youth assets.
Earn a Disability Mentoring Certification
Deadline: Thurs. 1/31

MENTOR and Partners for Youth with Disabilities are partnering to offer all youth mentoring programs in the U.S. full membership in the National Disability Mentoring Coalition. As NDMC members, programs can earn a Disability Mentoring Certification. Deadline for submissions is January 31, 2021, so don't wait!
Forum on Mentoring for Youth in Foster Care
Tues. 1/26 @ 12 - 2 pm

Drawing from Silver Lining Mentoring’s 20 years of experience exclusively focused on mentoring youth in foster care, the goal of this session is to create an active learning community to support organizations during the pandemic and share best practices for working with youth in foster care.
Virginia Coalition for Equity in OST STEM

While VA is rich in out-of-school time STEM programs, they are not connected on a state level. Individually, these programs face the same challenges in engaging girls, non-binary, African American and Latinx youth and in preparing our future workforce. VPOST aims to address this void by forming a Virginia Coalition for Equity in OST STEM Programs.
Funding Opportunities
Grant Supporting Out-of-School Time Programs Serving Middle School Youth 

On behalf of the New York Life Foundation, the Afterschool Alliance invites out-of-school time programs to apply for a competitive grant opportunity to support and bolster the ability of afterschool and summer learning programs to help their middle school students make a successful transition to high school, particularly in the face of the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

RFP Due: Monday, February 1st, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. ET
Child & Youth Development Grant

For 2021, the Community Foundation will consider applications from youth development organizations serving Northern Virginia that:

1) Support and provide opportunities to children and youth (age birth - 21) who may be facing heightened barriers due to poverty (defined as up to 200% of the federal poverty level.)

2) Submit proposals in the following areas:
  • Afterschool / Summer Activities
  • Academic Achievement

Applications Due: Thursday, February 4, 2021
Program Spotlight
Casa Chirilagua: Putting Young People & Community First

Against the backdrop of a global pandemic, 2020 was a year in which unprecedented challenge spurred incredible adaptability for Casa Chirilagua, a faith-based non-profit in Alexandria, VA. MENTOR Virginia recently spoke with José Martinez, Mentoring Director at Casa Chirilagua, about what recent months have been like for the 100+ Latinx families they serve. We are happy to be able to share Casa Chirilagua's story of perseverance on our blog in honor of National Mentoring Month, and to lift them up as an inspiring example of what happens when communities come together to ensure that young people have the relationships and resources they need to thrive.
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