Technical Consulting
MENTOR Virginia provides program consultation, also called technical assistance, to established and newly developing programs to improve their quality and impact.
Technical Assistance (TA) is made available to eligible youth mentoring programs through support from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Not all programs qualify.
Please read the NMRC Technical Assistance Application Guide below before submitting a TA request. This guide is designed to assist you in understanding and completing the application.
Areas of Focus
Explore specific ways that your program can utilize technical assistance consulting
Technical Assistance Steps
Step 1: Submit a request
Submit a request for technical assistance (TA) through the National Mentoring Resource Center. For help, email Emma Rush at pr@mentorva.org. Programs must serve some youth under 18 to be eligible.
Step 2: Complete the initial needs assessment
Once you submit a TA request, it will take 1-3 weeks for it to be assigned to MENTOR Virginia. You will receive an email to complete the Initial Needs Assessment, which takes about 10 minutes.
Step 3: Complete an intake call
After completing the Initial Needs Assessment, the Programs Manager will set up a call to review information about your program and TA request. This call typically takes an hour.
Step 4: Execute the MOU
After the intake call, the programs manager will submit an MOU that describes the support your program is seeking through TA. After it has been approved, you will be invited by email to sign it.
Step 5: Meet your consultant
After the MOU has been signed, the programs manager will e-introduce you to the consultant you will be working with throughout the TA process for the number of hours outlined in the MOU.
Step 6: Dedicate 1+ hours per week to the TA process
Over the next 2-6 months, plan to spend at least one hour per week meeting with your consultant or working on deliverables for your program. The MOU can stay open for a total of 6 months.
Step 7: Complete the requester evaluation
After you have utilized all the MOU hours or 6 months have passed—whichever comes first—you will be invited by email to complete a Requester Evaluation measuring your satisfaction with TA.
Step 8: Complete the post assessment
Once the requester evaluation has been submitted, the programs manager will let you know if you can submit another TA request to receive more support. Three months after the TA closes, you will be invited to complete a Post Assessment measuring how the TA benefitted your program.
MENTOR Virginia’s Consultants
MENTOR Virginia’s technical assistance is provided by our talented team of consultants, all of whom are experts in various models of mentoring and working with specific populations of youth. When you submit your request, you have the option to specify your preference for which consultant you want to work with from our team.
Our Consultants:
Dr. Nishaun Battle
Dwayne Bennett
James Harris, LMHP
John Harris
Laura Leporati
Bianca Myrick
Tammie Mobley
Angela Patton
Allyson Roberts
Chekesha White
If you are looking to improve the quality of one or more aspects of your mentoring program through our consulting or have questions about our trainers and consultants, reach out to Emma Rush at pr@mentorva.org.
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Technical Assistance is made possible through the National Mentoring Resource Center (NMRC), which is a project of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership.
