Theories & Approaches
Foundations of a Successful Youth Mentoring Program: A Checklist
Adapted with permission from the National Mentoring Center
Mentoring programs that positively impact the lives of youth are the result of systematic design across a number of critical program areas. As an overview of how to set up a strong youth mentoring program, this checklist will help you gauge the efforts necessary to launch a youth mentoring program. For information about "Foundations of Successful Youth Mentoring: A Guidebook for Program Development," visit: www.nwrel.org/mentoring/foundations.html
1. Strong Agency Capacity
A written recruitment plan with multiple strategies. |
|
 |
Strong knowledge of mentoring and youth development research. |
|
Written policy and procedure manual. |
|
Access to training and technical assistance services. |
|
Diversity of youth and community being served is reflected in the program. |
|
Qualified and trained staff. |
|
Evidence of agency support (from board or parent agency). |
|
Community awareness of the program. |
2. Proven Program Design
|
A written recruitment plan with multiple strategies. |
|
Initial orientation for prospective mentors and mentees. |
|
Established mentor/mentee intake procedures. |
|
Appropriate mentor screening procedures. |
|
Pre-match training for all new mentors and mentees. |
|
Established matching procedure. |
|
Established procedure for monitoring matches. |
|
Support, ongoing training, and recognition for volunteers. |
|
Established match closure procedure. |
|
Stable and appropriate number of matches with a high retention rate. |
3. Effective Community Partnerships
|
Effective collaboration with partner organizations. |
|
Collaboration and networking with other local youth-service. |
4. Sustainable Resource Development
|
Established resource development committee. |
|
Assessment of internal resources. |
|
Assessment of external resources. |
|
Written resource development plan. |
5. Useful Program Evaluation
|
Design and implementation of a local program evaluation. |
|
Use of evaluation data for program enhancement. |
Source
National Mentoring Center. (2003). Foundations of Successful Youth Mentoring: A Guidebook for Program Development. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Portland, OR. Online: www.nwrel.org/mentoring/foundations.html
Next: Summary>>
