Training & Workshops

MENTOR Rhode Island regularly hosts workshops on topics important to mentoring and overall youth development.

Workshops are FREE unless otherwise noted and may be held virtually or in-person. 

Catalogue of MENTOR Rhode Island Trainings

Click Here to Download or Print our Training Catalogue

Reach out to Christopher Margadonna; Senior Director of Training and Partnerships, for scheduling and price quotes
cmargadonna@MentorRI.org

• Everyday Mentoring- MENTOR RI
  • Audience: Adults already working with youth
  • Time: 2-3 hours
  • This training focuses on fostering mentoring mindset in the adults who have regular interactions with youth. Based on the Developmental Relationship Framework from the Search Institute, participants will learn the concepts and skills associated with being a positive, caring adult in the lives of students. By being intentional about building relationships into the culture, students will view staff members as an adult that cares about them as individuals. It’s this feeling of connection with a caring adult who is invested in them and their success that is the foundation of positive outcomes like increased attendance, interest and engagement in classroom learning and more positive peer interactions that mentoring provides to youth.

 

• Growth Mindset- MENTOR RI
  • Audience: Everyone
  • Time: 2-3 hours
  • “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment,” says Carol Dweck the mother of invention behind the concept of Growth Mindset. In this training, participants will learn the difference between Fixed and Growth Mindset, how to identify and get over our own Fixed Mindset, and finally, how we help others, particularly the kids we serve, to learn and thrive with a Growth Mindset.

 

• Youth Initiated Mentoring- MENTOR RI
  • Audience: Teens and Young Adults
  • Time: 2 hours
  • Giving youth the agency to find their own mentors can be a valuable tool. The Youth Initiated Mentoring (YIM) training empowers young people to identify and engage potential mentors from within the constellation of caring adults already a part of their lives; past or present. In this training, we focus on how young people can develop social capital and create networks for themselves while building effective communication styles. This training is best suited for youth in high school and above.

 

• It’s All About Relationships- MENTOR RI
  • Audience: Everyone
  • Time- 1.5-2 hours
  • Even though we value them, we all cringe at the word icebreaker. We may find them to be awkward and trivial, but imagine a world where you could interact and get to know people in a fun and safe setting. At MENTOR RI we like to say that mentoring is all about relationships, but to build strong relationships with anyone, you need to have the right tools. From great ways to break the ice to active listening, this workshop will share the tools of the trade for building stronger relationships within a program.

 

• Connect-Focus-Grow- MENTOR National
  • Audience: Businesses and Supervisors working with young people or interns
  • Time: 2-3 hours
  • Connect: This content will offer tangible strategies and tactics to help mentors build trust and rapport with mentees. We will integrate a focus on cultural awareness and humility, equipping mentors with tools and the opportunity to reflect on potential biases that may limit success in mentoring relationships.
  • Focus: This content will provide mentors with tools and activities to leverage with mentees in setting goals and creating action plans to achieve those goals. We will integrate effective coaching techniques so that mentors are not directing the goal setting process with mentees, but rather creating a safe and structured space to reflect on and prioritize short and long-term goals.
  • Grow: This content will review effective practices for giving and receiving feedback as well as dealing with common challenges in mentoring relationships. It will equip mentors with useful strategies for cultivating and practicing a growth mindset.

 

• Substance Abuse and Misuse- MENTOR National
  • Audience: People working with youth impacted by opioid use or misuse
  • Time: 2 hours
  • The Office of Juvenile Justice and Prevention (OJJDP) recognizes youth impacted by opioid use and misuse can especially benefit from mentoring relationships. While this training will address a diversity of facets related to mentoring impacted youth, the following goals/objectives are common threads of the content. Understand the three main intersections of mentoring youth impacted by opioids: Youth at risk to use or in a space of experimental use, Youth using to a level of addiction and currently enrolled in and/or needing treatment, and Youth whose family/loved ones are using, addicted and/or have overdosed (fatal and non-fatal). Participants will also understand expectations for basic knowledge of mentoring best practices and concepts of trauma, understand how opioids and general drug and alcohol are addressed throughout the training, and understand trauma as both and/or: an experience that can ultimately lead a youth to use as a coping mechanism (I.e. historical abuse, neglect, bullying, poverty, etc.), the experience of witnessing a loved one, a friend, and/or a community struggle with and/or die as a result of drug use.

 

• Everyone is an Asset Builder- Search Institute
  • Everyone
  • Research with millions of young people shows the power of people from all walks of life committing to do what they can to support all young people’s success. By participating in this highly interactive workshop, parents, educators, mentors, neighbors, youth workers, and community leaders will understand the strengths and supports that are essential for young people’s success in school, work, and life, based on Search Institute’s research on Developmental Assets. Participants will also Identify qualities of individuals who play powerful roles in young people’s lives, discover opportunities in their everyday lives for making a positive difference and make personal commitments to take personal action to support youth success This workshop is the perfect way to build public will and engagement for your collective impact and other community-building efforts.

 

• Coordinator’s Training- MENTOR National
  • Audience: Mentor Program Coordinator’s
  • Time: 6 hours
  • Using the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring (EEPM), the industry’s nationally accepted best practices, MENTOR Rhode Island’s training staff will take participants through the processes needed to recruit mentors, achieve community buy-in, screen and train mentors, match volunteers and youth in meaningful and fulfilling mentoring relationships, and discuss issues facing youth today. Attendees receive a copy of the “How to Organize a Community Mentoring Program” training manual which includes all the lessons covered during the training. In addition, they will receive a “Mentor Training” manual as well as access to various forms and samples that can be tailored to individual mentoring programs. It also is the first step to the Assessment & Improvement process called, National Quality Mentoring System (NQMS) AND this training gives participants a chance to network with each other! New program coordinators get a viable youth mentoring program up and running. Professionals returning to the mentoring field and agency directors who are considering offering a mentoring program through their school or agency. Existing coordinators who want to revamp their current programs.

 

• Social Emotional Learning IS Mentoring- MENTOR RI
  • Audience: Adults working with young people
  • Time: 2 hours
  • The words Social Emotional Learning (SEL) have been tossed around now for a few years in the youth development field, but what exactly is SEL and more importantly, how do we implement it with our youth. In this workshop, we will go over the five main SEL skills that young people need and how we can help young people better develop these skills. Participants will walk away with concrete activities to do with young people to help foster a strong social emotional environment

 

• Mentor Training 101- MENTOR RI
  • Audience: Mentors in a formal mentoring program
  • Time: 2-3 hours
  • This interactive training program provides participants with an introduction to mentoring and what to expect as a mentor. Topics like the qualities of a good mentor, communication skills, establishing boundaries, and appreciating diversity will make it easier for mentors to navigate relationships with their mentees. This training is appropriate to introduce new volunteers to the field of mentoring and to refresh current mentors on best practices.