MENTOR Vermont convened the 2019 Vermont Mentoring Symposium at the Waterbury State Office Complex on Thursday, May 23. This day-long conference is the only professional development and networking opportunity of its kind focused on youth mentoring in Vermont, and brought together more than 50 youth mentoring program staff, board members, and supporters from across the state for a day of networking and professional development.
This year, with support from Community Bank, N.A., the Symposium featured a keynote address from Paul Suk-Hyun Yoon, Senior Advisor for Strategic Diversity Assessment and Research at the University of Vermont. The theme for this year’s event was “Empowering Young People Through a Strengths-Based Approach.”
Yoon told a series of stories about mentors he’d had in his life, and the roles that each of them had in shaping his mental health, gender identity, and racial identity. He ended his remarks with a call to action to the mentoring program leaders in attendance.
“I believe it will take us all to rise up and meet the unprecedented challenges we, as a species, face today,” said Yoon. I believe it will take us all to provide enough resources and support to youth in Vermont so they can grow and develop into thriving, productive, and engaged adults. Empowering young people through a strengths-based approach is arguably one of the most important things we can do. It was for me, and I imagine it was for some of you, too.”
Workshop sessions at the Symposium included: “A Dialogue about Race and Equity for Mentoring Coordinators” (facilitated by Michael Hill, Jr., student assistant program counselor for Burlington High School and adjunct faculty member at the Community College of Vermont), “LGBTQ+ Best Practices Training” (facilitated by Skylar Wolfe, director of SafeSpace anti-violence program, and Taylor Small, director of health & wellness program, from the Pride Center of Vermont), and “Youth Mental Health” (facilitated by Sean Perry, co-founder and president of We R H.O.P.E., Inc.). At the conclusion of the day, there was a brainstorming session for mentoring programs that serve youth 12 and up on a guidebook MENTOR Vermont is helping to develop for mentors on how mentors can better support mentees with thinking about and exploring their options for after high school (facilitated by Kathi Terami, executive director of Careers CLiC, and Chad Butt, executive director of MENTOR Vermont.)
Support for the workshops was made possible by The Alchemist Foundation, Larkin Hospitality, and VSAC (Vermont Student Assistance Corporation). More information about each workshop, and downloadable resources from the presenters can be found by visiting www.mentorvt.org.
The event also included a lunch and networking hour, and peer-facilitated group discussions for mentoring programs in specific regions of the state. The Symposium was also sponsored by Fairfield Inn & Suites (Waterbury-Stowe), Langrock Sperry & Wool, LLP, Local Muscle Movers, and National Life Group.
The Vermont Mentoring Symposium is planned and organized each year by MENTOR Vermont and members of its Program Leadership Council, an advisory group comprised of elected representatives from mentoring programs across the state that advises and assists the organization with its various youth mentoring initiatives.
About Mentoring: According to the “Mentoring Effect,” a study released in 2014 by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, one in three youth in Vermont will enter adulthood without having a formal or informal mentoring relationship with a caring adult. National studies by MENTOR and Big Brothers Big Sisters demonstrate that youth with mentors are less likely to engage in risky behavior with drugs and alcohol, and they are more likely to develop positive relationships with peers and adults and pursue college and other post-secondary opportunities. Based on the 2018 Vermont Mentoring Surveys, nearly 72 percent of middle and high school youth supported by mentoring programs in Vermont feel like they matter to people in their community, and more than 88 percent of mentors play a direct role in their mentee’s education.
About MENTOR Vermont: MENTOR Vermont (formerly known as Mobius) supports 140 adult-to-youth mentoring program sites that serve 2,300 mentor pairs throughout the state. The organization awards more than $300,000 to youth mentoring agencies annually through the Vermont Mentoring Grants, which are made possible by support from the A.D. Henderson Foundation, the Vermont Department for Children and Families, and the Permanent Fund for Vermont's Children. Additionally, MENTOR Vermont offers technical support to 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. For more information about mentoring programs and initiatives in Vermont, visit www.mentorvt.org.
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