A celebration of connection, creativity, mentorship
Vermont Business Magazine MENTOR Vermont, in partnership with Up for Learning, proudly hosted its First Annual Youth Day, a new statewide initiative created for youth, by youth. Designed and led by a planning committee of six youth ages 12 to 17 from across Vermont, the event was held to bring together young people and mentors from mentoring programs throughout the state for a full day of connection, creativity, and leadership development.
The theme for this year's gathering—Connection—guided every element of the event. From collaborative breakout workshops to shared meals and community-building activities, the day offered space for youth to build new relationships, explore new skills, and celebrate what mentoring makes possible.
Over 60 youth and mentors attended the event, which featured a vibrant selection of hands-on breakout workshops, including:
- Jeh Kulu West African Dance and Drum
- Wayfinding Exploration
- Neurographic Art with Kaleidoscope Art
- Phonetography (photography with smartphones)
- Stand-UP Comedy
- Adventure Team Building
- Dancing for the Stage
- Creative Poetry
“Youth Day was a chance to center the voices, ideas, and experiences of young people in mentoring,” said Sarah DeBouter, Training and Support Director of MENTOR Vermont. “By empowering youth to lead the planning process and choose experiences that matter to them, we not only strengthened their leadership skills, but created a meaningful day of community and celebration.”
MENTOR VERMONT The purpose of Youth Day is to unite mentees and mentors from across Vermont, offering space to network, grow, and celebrate the many forms mentoring takes. With the support of Up for Learning and the creativity of the youth planning team, MENTOR Vermont looks forward to making this an annual tradition that continues to uplift and connect Vermont’s mentoring community.
To learn more about mentoring programs and initiatives in Vermont, visit www.mentorvt.org.
About MENTOR Vermont: MENTOR Vermont aims to close the mentoring gap and drive equity through quality mentoring relationships so every young person in Vermont has the supportive relationships they need to grow and thrive. To achieve this vision, MENTOR Vermont provides funding, resources, and support to the youth mentoring field in Vermont to strengthen the quality and broaden the reach of mentoring relationships throughout the state. In addition to promoting National Mentoring Month in Vermont, the organization manages the Vermont Mentoring Grants, hosts the annual Vermont Mentoring Symposium, provides technical support to mentoring program staff, maintains an online program directory and referral system for volunteers, manages a quality-based program management database, raises public awareness of mentoring, works with programs to ensure they are meeting best practices, and leads statewide mentoring initiatives. MENTOR Vermont is the state affiliate of MENTOR. For more information about mentoring programs and initiatives in Vermont, visit www.mentorvt.org.
7.2.2025. Burlington, VT – MENTOR Vermont. mentorvt.org
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