Mentor4OK Monthly
Special Issue: Oklahoma Mentoring 2021-22
April 2022 | Issue No. 26
From the Editor

Mentorship — from the playground to the playing field and the classroom to the boardroom — develops a stronger Oklahoma, economically, socially, emotionally, and academically. Actions across our state have combined to lay the groundwork for better mentoring awareness and implementation statewide. We hope you are inspired by the state of mentoring in Oklahoma outlined in this special edition of our newsletter.

— Beverly Woodrome, Mentor4OK
Mayors Recognizing Mentoring

MENTOR's Mayors for Mentoring

MENTOR recognizes a select few mayors across the country who elevate mentoring in their communities. In August 2021, the Honorable Breea Clark, J.D., was named Oklahoma’s Mayor for Mentoring. Before Mayor Clark’s selection, Oklahoma’s first and only Mayor for Mentoring was the Honorable Dewey F. Clark, Jr., former Mayor of Tulsa. Mayor Bartlett is now recognized as a Legacy Mayor for Mentoring.

Mayors Honoring Mentors
  
In December 2021, the Oklahoma Municipal League, in partnership with Mentor4OK and the OML Board of Directors, launched the Mayors Honoring Mentors campaign to recognize local mentors and promote initiatives in their communities. The Oklahoma Municipal League will continue to build this program throughout 2022. The link above includes templates for the program's proclamation, press release sample, and certificate,
Tribal Leadership Sets the Bar
In both 2021 and 2022, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Principal Chief David Hill issued a National Mentoring Month proclamation, the first and only Oklahoma Native American leader to do so.

Chief Hill, one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Americans of 2020, is a prominent champion of mentoring. For more of his insight and encouragement to tribal youth, as well as that of Second Chief Del Beaver, watch this video.
Promoting Mentoring in Schools
To expose more educators, counselors, board members, and administrators to mentoring, Cheyenne Junior/High School principal Whitney Moore, along with three of her seventh-grade mentors, presented Cheyenne's Talls & Small Mentoring & More program at the Oklahoma State Boards Association/The Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (OSSBA/CCOSA) Education Leadership Conference in August 2021. Cheyenne has two peer and one community mentoring programs.
Mentorship on Capitol Hill
Oklahoma Congressional Support

No one promotes a mentoring program like an enthusiastic person involved in it. Mentoring continues to be a priority for many elected leaders, many of which are both mentors and mentees. In January 2022, several Oklahomans who completed MENTOR's advocacy training spoke with Congressional leaders on the importance of mentoring.

Back home in Oklahoma, Mentor4OK applauds our Congressional leaders for supporting pro-mentoring legislation.




  • Rep. Cole, Tom [R-OK-4], signed on 05-20-21

National Funding Opportunities

In March 2022, U. S. President Joe Biden signed into law the appropriations bills to fund government agencies, including mentorship programs, for FY2022. MENTOR identified a number of potential funding sources for mentoring programs as part of these bills. Click here to learn more about these programs and opportunities.
Oklahoma Foster and Transitional Youth
Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth champions children, youth, and families. The Strengthening Youth Custody and Transition Services Advisory Committee believes youth can benefit from customized, uniform, research-based mentor training for mentors and mentoring program staff. Older foster, foster alumni, justice-involved, and visibly and invisibly challenged youth, Oklahoma's future, merit higher-quality mentors.

Mentor4OK recently shared as examples ten units of Mentoring Central’s research-based, online mentoring courses, Building the Foundation, Ethics and Safety, and Building and Maintaining the Relationship. Rebecca Stelter, Ph.D., Innovation Research Training, and the committee are exploring options to equip all mentors working with these young people to receive online training. Keep an eye out for a quick survey email coming soon regarding this supplemental training opportunity.
Who Mentored You?
This year, Mentor4OK mailed 150 letters to Oklahoma legislators informing them of the value of mentoring in our state and requesting that they share their own mentor stories. Along with an infographic, legislators were invited to share on social media or through a newsletter. We were delighted and inspired to receive a handwritten note from Oklahoma State Representative John Talley, District 33 – Logan and Payne Counties, recognizing mentors throughout his life.
Share Your Story

We want to hear you mentor story too! To help promote mentoring awareness, we invite you to recognize the mentors in your life, past and present. Tag your post with #Mentor4OK to help spread the word.
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P.O. Box 1796
Edmond, OK,
73083-1796, US

Phone:
405-590-4063
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