MENTOR Virginia

February Community Coffee Hour
2024-02-14 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Detroit)
Grab your coffee or tea, and join your mentoring program peers and MENTOR Virginia on Wednesday, February 14th from 9:00 – 10:00 am for Community Coffee Hour. We’ll be having a discussion on ways mentoring programs can partner with local law enforcement.
MENTOR Virginia will virtually host Community Coffee Hour every 2nd Wednesday of the month with mentoring program staff to create space for peer-to-peer learning and resource sharing, and to address issues you and your organization might be facing during the pandemic and beyond. We hope to see you at an upcoming Community Coffee Hour!
Register to attend!
Meet Our Guest Speakers:
Larry E. “Rev Mentor” Thomas is the Founder, Visionary and CEO at The Thomas Mentor Leadership Academy in Durham, North Carolina. Their mission is to LOVE, lead, guide and mentor males between the ages of 9 and 18 who are being raised by a single parent, single legal guardian or their grandparent(s). By receiving so much from so many, Larry has dedicated his life to reaching back and giving forward. He has been mentoring young men for over 30 years. Larry is a nationally-recognized leader and advocate for mentoring African-American males.
Larry is a U.S. Army Combat Veteran. He retired from the United States Army in May 2011 as a First Sergeant with 26 years of honorable service to this great country. His last active-duty assignment was as the Senior Military Instructor at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill- Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) where he trained, mentored and developed future officers to serve as leaders in the United States Army. Larry was awarded numerous awards and decorations during his honorable military career, including the Bronze Star Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. Larry is a graduate of several Military Leadership Schools, Apex School of Theology and Andersonville Theological Seminary. He’s also a graduate of the Duke University Nonprofit Management Course. Larry is a proud member of THE Mu Beta Phi Military Fraternity Incorporated. Larry has been married to his lovely wife Lisa for 32 years. They have two beautiful daughters, son in law and two awesome grandkids.
GiTonya Parker is currently the Grants Coordinator with the City of Richmond Budget and Strategic Planning. She has 19 years of federal grant writing and management experience and 28 years of grant coordination experience. GiTonya has been involved in mentoring program development for the past 27 years and has served as a technical and training assistant over that time. Her dedication to mentoring has been honored through the Helping Hand Volunteer Award and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Summit Facilitator/Coordinator Award. GiTonya graduated from Virginia State University with a B.S. in Psychology. She has an M. Ed. in Counselor Education and is a doctoral student in Organizational Leadership at Grand Canyon University.
In addition to her role as Grant Coordinator, she serves as an educator at VCU, VUU, and UR teaching Leadership Development for Women of Color and Grant Writing and Management. She combines her role as an educator and mentor by serving Partnership for the Future and the MLK, Jr. Youth Summit. She also serves as a board member for MENTOR Virginia. Outside of her role as mentor and educator, GiTonya is engaged with a variety of organizations, including Highland Springs High School Football Organization, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and Faith Community Baptist Church.

February Public New Mentor Training
2024-02-13 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Detroit)
Register HERE
Are you considering becoming a mentor or getting ready to be a mentor? Take the first step and attend one of MENTOR Virginia’s virtual New Mentor Trainings. Let our trainers prepare you to be the most effective mentor possible. By attending our virtual training, you will learn what to expect from a mentor-mentee relationship and proven strategies for success. At this session, you will be introduced to:

The value of mentoring
Boundaries of a mentoring relationship
The importance of a positive youth development approach
Stages of a mentoring relationship, communication techniques, and problem-solving strategies
Mentor/Mentee Activities

MENTOR Virginia creates a lively atmosphere of learning and engages participants in interactive activities. Our goal is to have a minimum of 8 participants at each training session, so consider bringing a friend, colleague, or sharing this training event with others interested in becoming a mentor.

Register to attend!

Connect | Focus | Grow - Region 3 (virtual)
2024-02-13 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York)
The Connect | Focus | Grow training was developed as part of the National Mentoring Project, a pilot project managed by MENTOR in partnership with the America’s Promise Alliance / Center for Promise and with support from the Schultz Family Foundation. The National Mentoring Project aims to expand the web of quality relationship supports and social capital that younger employees/mentees/interns need to develop the skills necessary to successfully navigate the workplace including securing and sustaining employment.
Underlying this training is MENTOR’s guiding vision, which is that all younger employees, mentees, and interns have access to a web of support from caring adults and can form empowering relationships that:

Promote the pursuit of the younger employees/mentees/intern’s passions, skills and interests
Enable younger employees/mentees/interns access to and exploration of spaces where these can be pursued
Help younger employees/mentees/interns overcome personal and/or institutional obstacles

This vision is underpinned by the approach MENTOR uses to help adults and younger employees form relationships, which is grounded in positive development and youth-centrism. This approach:

Recognizes that young people are assets and experts about themselves and their communities
Supports young people in identifying and building strengths
Brings young people and adults together to work as equal partners as appropriate
Builds young people’s connections to their own identity, culture and community helping them to see their own social capital and supporting the extension of social capital through mentoring
Engages young people as leaders on issues that matter to them

Date: Tuesday, February 13th
Time: 10:00am – 11:30am
Register to attend!
Meet Your Facilitator:

Tamice Spencer-Helms is a published author, speaker, and trainer based in Richmond, Virginia. graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2006. She has since been in the non-profit sector, serving thousands of young adults and college students. In addition to her Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies and Copywriting, Tamice has a Masters of Arts in Contextual Leadership and a Masters of Arts in Theology. She is credentialed in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, LGBTQ+ gender and sexuality studies.
Tamice is a thought-leader in culturally relevant and critically conscious campus engagement among Black College students. She co-founded an Atlanta-based collective for HBCU campus practitioners and planted six student-led chapters on HBCU campuses in the southeast. She has served as Senior Director of Student Leadership & Engagement at Virginia Union University, where she also taught courses in religious studies. Currently, she trains youth mentors in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is certified in training related to LGBTQ+ sexuality and gender identity and is a green belt in Lean Six Sigma.
Over the years, Tamice has been a change-maker and pioneer for young people in her community. Throughout her life, Tamice has connected, supported, and ministered to countless young adults. Her friendly and down-to-earth approach to public speaking and teaching, as well as her dedication to research and learning, has helped empower and inspire people in her community and beyond. In 2018 Tamice went on to found Sub:Culture Incorporated, a nonprofit that provides holistic support and crisis relief for Black College Students.
Tamice lives in the East End of Richmond with her partner Ellison and her daughter Harlym. In her free time she enjoys discussing and dissecting hip-hop, reading nonfiction, writing, watching documentaries, singing with her daughter, and eating her partner’s homemade pizza. She released her first book, Faith Unleavened this past year.
Hear from Tamice about the Connect | Focus | Grow curriculum

Connect | Focus | Grow - Region 1 (virtual)
2024-02-08 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York)
The Connect | Focus | Grow training was developed as part of the National Mentoring Project, a pilot project managed by MENTOR in partnership with the America’s Promise Alliance / Center for Promise and with support from the Schultz Family Foundation. The National Mentoring Project aims to expand the web of quality relationship supports and social capital that younger employees/mentees/interns need to develop the skills necessary to successfully navigate the workplace including securing and sustaining employment. Underlying this training is MENTOR’s guiding vision, which is that all younger employees, mentees, and interns have access to a web of support from caring adults and can form empowering relationships that:

Promote the pursuit of the younger employees/mentees/intern’s passions, skills and interests
Enable younger employees/mentees/interns access to and exploration of spaces where these can be pursued
Help younger employees/mentees/interns overcome personal and/or institutional obstacles

This vision is underpinned by the approach MENTOR uses to help adults and younger employees form relationships, which is grounded in positive development and youth-centrism. This approach:

Recognizes that young people are assets and experts about themselves and their communities
Supports young people in identifying and building strengths
Brings young people and adults together to work as equal partners as appropriate
Builds young people’s connections to their own identity, culture and community helping them to see their own social capital and supporting the extension of social capital through mentoring
Engages young people as leaders on issues that matter to them

Date: Thursday, February 8th
Time: 10:00am - 11:30am
Register to attend!
Meet Your Facilitator:
Dwayne Bennett has been with MENTOR Virginia for over a decade, first as a mentor, and now as Lead Trainer and a Technical Assistance Consultant. During this time, Dwayne has personally trained over 4,000 mentors and mentees. Of the over 150 programs that Dwayne has worked with, most recently Dwayne has trained or provided technical assistance to Capital One, Armstrong Leadership Program, VCU’s African American Alumni Council, Micah Association (Richmond Hill), VCU Health Services, Brunswick County High School, Jumpstart Mentoring, Hampton University, and Richmond Public Schools. Dwayne specializes in trauma-informed care, the growth mindset, incorporating a DEI lens to mentoring, critical mentoring, school-based mentoring, leadership development, communication, goal setting, connecting principles, and others. Further, Dwayne has been a featured speaker and panelist for various organizations and educational institutions using his expertise to discuss best practices and building of mentoring programs both domestically and around the globe. Dwayne is the author of two books: From Worry to Winning: The 7 Winning Ways to Your Personal Success and The 7 Winning Ways to College Success: From High School to College.

Hear from Tamice about the Connect | Focus | Grow curriculum

Connect | Focus | Grow - Region 3 (virtual)
2024-02-08 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York)
The Connect | Focus | Grow training was developed as part of the National Mentoring Project, a pilot project managed by MENTOR in partnership with the America’s Promise Alliance / Center for Promise and with support from the Schultz Family Foundation. The National Mentoring Project aims to expand the web of quality relationship supports and social capital that younger employees/mentees/interns need to develop the skills necessary to successfully navigate the workplace including securing and sustaining employment.
Underlying this training is MENTOR’s guiding vision, which is that all younger employees, mentees, and interns have access to a web of support from caring adults and can form empowering relationships that:

Promote the pursuit of the younger employees/mentees/intern’s passions, skills and interests
Enable younger employees/mentees/interns access to and exploration of spaces where these can be pursued
Help younger employees/mentees/interns overcome personal and/or institutional obstacles

This vision is underpinned by the approach MENTOR uses to help adults and younger employees form relationships, which is grounded in positive development and youth-centrism. This approach:

Recognizes that young people are assets and experts about themselves and their communities
Supports young people in identifying and building strengths
Brings young people and adults together to work as equal partners as appropriate
Builds young people’s connections to their own identity, culture and community helping them to see their own social capital and supporting the extension of social capital through mentoring
Engages young people as leaders on issues that matter to them

Date: Thursday, February 8th
Time: 10:00am – 11:30am
Register to attend!
Meet Your Facilitator:

Tamice Spencer-Helms is a published author, speaker, and trainer based in Richmond, Virginia. graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2006. She has since been in the non-profit sector, serving thousands of young adults and college students. In addition to her Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies and Copywriting, Tamice has a Masters of Arts in Contextual Leadership and a Masters of Arts in Theology. She is credentialed in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, LGBTQ+ gender and sexuality studies.
Tamice is a thought-leader in culturally relevant and critically conscious campus engagement among Black College students. She co-founded an Atlanta-based collective for HBCU campus practitioners and planted six student-led chapters on HBCU campuses in the southeast. She has served as Senior Director of Student Leadership & Engagement at Virginia Union University, where she also taught courses in religious studies. Currently, she trains youth mentors in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is certified in training related to LGBTQ+ sexuality and gender identity and is a green belt in Lean Six Sigma.
Over the years, Tamice has been a change-maker and pioneer for young people in her community. Throughout her life, Tamice has connected, supported, and ministered to countless young adults. Her friendly and down-to-earth approach to public speaking and teaching, as well as her dedication to research and learning, has helped empower and inspire people in her community and beyond. In 2018 Tamice went on to found Sub:Culture Incorporated, a nonprofit that provides holistic support and crisis relief for Black College Students.
Tamice lives in the East End of Richmond with her partner Ellison and her daughter Harlym. In her free time she enjoys discussing and dissecting hip-hop, reading nonfiction, writing, watching documentaries, singing with her daughter, and eating her partner’s homemade pizza. She released her first book, Faith Unleavened this past year.
Hear from Tamice about the Connect | Focus | Grow curriculum

Connect | Focus | Grow - Region 1 (in-person)
2024-02-07 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
The Connect | Focus | Grow training was developed as part of the National Mentoring Project, a pilot project managed by MENTOR in partnership with the America’s Promise Alliance / Center for Promise and with support from the Schultz Family Foundation. The National Mentoring Project aims to expand the web of quality relationship supports and social capital that younger employees/mentees/interns need to develop the skills necessary to successfully navigate the workplace including securing and sustaining employment. Underlying this training is MENTOR’s guiding vision, which is that all younger employees, mentees, and interns have access to a web of support from caring adults and can form empowering relationships that:

Promote the pursuit of the younger employees/mentees/intern’s passions, skills and interests
Enable younger employees/mentees/interns access to and exploration of spaces where these can be pursued
Help younger employees/mentees/interns overcome personal and/or institutional obstacles

This vision is underpinned by the approach MENTOR uses to help adults and younger employees form relationships, which is grounded in positive development and youth-centrism. This approach:

Recognizes that young people are assets and experts about themselves and their communities
Supports young people in identifying and building strengths
Brings young people and adults together to work as equal partners as appropriate
Builds young people’s connections to their own identity, culture and community helping them to see their own social capital and supporting the extension of social capital through mentoring
Engages young people as leaders on issues that matter to them

Date: Tuesday, Feb. 7th
Time: 9am-12pm
Location: UVA - Wise University
Register to attend!
Meet Your Facilitator:
Dwayne Bennett has been with MENTOR Virginia for over a decade, first as a mentor, and now as Lead Trainer and a Technical Assistance Consultant. During this time, Dwayne has personally trained over 4,000 mentors and mentees. Of the over 150 programs that Dwayne has worked with, most recently Dwayne has trained or provided technical assistance to Capital One, Armstrong Leadership Program, VCU’s African American Alumni Council, Micah Association (Richmond Hill), VCU Health Services, Brunswick County High School, Jumpstart Mentoring, Hampton University, and Richmond Public Schools. Dwayne specializes in trauma-informed care, the growth mindset, incorporating a DEI lens to mentoring, critical mentoring, school-based mentoring, leadership development, communication, goal setting, connecting principles, and others. Further, Dwayne has been a featured speaker and panelist for various organizations and educational institutions using his expertise to discuss best practices and building of mentoring programs both domestically and around the globe. Dwayne is the author of two books: From Worry to Winning: The 7 Winning Ways to Your Personal Success and The 7 Winning Ways to College Success: From High School to College.

Hear from Tamice about the Connect | Focus | Grow curriculum

Connect | Focus | Grow - Region 3 (in-person)
2024-02-07 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
The Connect | Focus | Grow training was developed as part of the National Mentoring Project, a pilot project managed by MENTOR in partnership with the America’s Promise Alliance / Center for Promise and with support from the Schultz Family Foundation. The National Mentoring Project aims to expand the web of quality relationship supports and social capital that younger employees/mentees/interns need to develop the skills necessary to successfully navigate the workplace including securing and sustaining employment.
Underlying this training is MENTOR’s guiding vision, which is that all younger employees, mentees, and interns have access to a web of support from caring adults and can form empowering relationships that:

Promote the pursuit of the younger employees/mentees/intern’s passions, skills and interests
Enable younger employees/mentees/interns access to and exploration of spaces where these can be pursued
Help younger employees/mentees/interns overcome personal and/or institutional obstacles

This vision is underpinned by the approach MENTOR uses to help adults and younger employees form relationships, which is grounded in positive development and youth-centrism. This approach:

Recognizes that young people are assets and experts about themselves and their communities
Supports young people in identifying and building strengths
Brings young people and adults together to work as equal partners as appropriate
Builds young people’s connections to their own identity, culture and community helping them to see their own social capital and supporting the extension of social capital through mentoring
Engages young people as leaders on issues that matter to them

Date: Tuesday, Feb. 7th
Time: 9:00am – 12pm
Location: Institute of Advanced Learning and Research

Register to attend!
Meet Your Facilitator:

Tamice Spencer-Helms is a published author, speaker, and trainer based in Richmond, Virginia. graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2006. She has since been in the non-profit sector, serving thousands of young adults and college students. In addition to her Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies and Copywriting, Tamice has a Masters of Arts in Contextual Leadership and a Masters of Arts in Theology. She is credentialed in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, LGBTQ+ gender and sexuality studies.
Tamice is a thought-leader in culturally relevant and critically conscious campus engagement among Black College students. She co-founded an Atlanta-based collective for HBCU campus practitioners and planted six student-led chapters on HBCU campuses in the southeast. She has served as Senior Director of Student Leadership & Engagement at Virginia Union University, where she also taught courses in religious studies. Currently, she trains youth mentors in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is certified in training related to LGBTQ+ sexuality and gender identity and is a green belt in Lean Six Sigma.
Over the years, Tamice has been a change-maker and pioneer for young people in her community. Throughout her life, Tamice has connected, supported, and ministered to countless young adults. Her friendly and down-to-earth approach to public speaking and teaching, as well as her dedication to research and learning, has helped empower and inspire people in her community and beyond. In 2018 Tamice went on to found Sub:Culture Incorporated, a nonprofit that provides holistic support and crisis relief for Black College Students.
Tamice lives in the East End of Richmond with her partner Ellison and her daughter Harlym. In her free time she enjoys discussing and dissecting hip-hop, reading nonfiction, writing, watching documentaries, singing with her daughter, and eating her partner’s homemade pizza. She released her first book, Faith Unleavened this past year.
Hear from Tamice about the Connect | Focus | Grow curriculum

Connect | Focus | Grow - Region 3 (in-person)
2024-02-06 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
The Connect | Focus | Grow training was developed as part of the National Mentoring Project, a pilot project managed by MENTOR in partnership with the America’s Promise Alliance / Center for Promise and with support from the Schultz Family Foundation. The National Mentoring Project aims to expand the web of quality relationship supports and social capital that younger employees/mentees/interns need to develop the skills necessary to successfully navigate the workplace including securing and sustaining employment.
Underlying this training is MENTOR’s guiding vision, which is that all younger employees, mentees, and interns have access to a web of support from caring adults and can form empowering relationships that:

Promote the pursuit of the younger employees/mentees/intern’s passions, skills and interests
Enable younger employees/mentees/interns access to and exploration of spaces where these can be pursued
Help younger employees/mentees/interns overcome personal and/or institutional obstacles

This vision is underpinned by the approach MENTOR uses to help adults and younger employees form relationships, which is grounded in positive development and youth-centrism. This approach:

Recognizes that young people are assets and experts about themselves and their communities
Supports young people in identifying and building strengths
Brings young people and adults together to work as equal partners as appropriate
Builds young people’s connections to their own identity, culture and community helping them to see their own social capital and supporting the extension of social capital through mentoring
Engages young people as leaders on issues that matter to them

Date: Tuesday, Feb. 6th
Time: 9:00am – 12pm
Location: Institute of Advanced Learning and Research

Register to attend!
Meet Your Facilitator:

Tamice Spencer-Helms is a published author, speaker, and trainer based in Richmond, Virginia. graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2006. She has since been in the non-profit sector, serving thousands of young adults and college students. In addition to her Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies and Copywriting, Tamice has a Masters of Arts in Contextual Leadership and a Masters of Arts in Theology. She is credentialed in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, LGBTQ+ gender and sexuality studies.
Tamice is a thought-leader in culturally relevant and critically conscious campus engagement among Black College students. She co-founded an Atlanta-based collective for HBCU campus practitioners and planted six student-led chapters on HBCU campuses in the southeast. She has served as Senior Director of Student Leadership & Engagement at Virginia Union University, where she also taught courses in religious studies. Currently, she trains youth mentors in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is certified in training related to LGBTQ+ sexuality and gender identity and is a green belt in Lean Six Sigma.
Over the years, Tamice has been a change-maker and pioneer for young people in her community. Throughout her life, Tamice has connected, supported, and ministered to countless young adults. Her friendly and down-to-earth approach to public speaking and teaching, as well as her dedication to research and learning, has helped empower and inspire people in her community and beyond. In 2018 Tamice went on to found Sub:Culture Incorporated, a nonprofit that provides holistic support and crisis relief for Black College Students.
Tamice lives in the East End of Richmond with her partner Ellison and her daughter Harlym. In her free time she enjoys discussing and dissecting hip-hop, reading nonfiction, writing, watching documentaries, singing with her daughter, and eating her partner’s homemade pizza. She released her first book, Faith Unleavened this past year.
Hear from Tamice about the Connect | Focus | Grow curriculum

Connect | Focus | Grow - Region 1
2024-02-06 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
The Connect | Focus | Grow training was developed as part of the National Mentoring Project, a pilot project managed by MENTOR in partnership with the America’s Promise Alliance / Center for Promise and with support from the Schultz Family Foundation. The National Mentoring Project aims to expand the web of quality relationship supports and social capital that younger employees/mentees/interns need to develop the skills necessary to successfully navigate the workplace including securing and sustaining employment. Underlying this training is MENTOR’s guiding vision, which is that all younger employees, mentees, and interns have access to a web of support from caring adults and can form empowering relationships that:

Promote the pursuit of the younger employees/mentees/intern’s passions, skills and interests
Enable younger employees/mentees/interns access to and exploration of spaces where these can be pursued
Help younger employees/mentees/interns overcome personal and/or institutional obstacles

This vision is underpinned by the approach MENTOR uses to help adults and younger employees form relationships, which is grounded in positive development and youth-centrism. This approach:

Recognizes that young people are assets and experts about themselves and their communities
Supports young people in identifying and building strengths
Brings young people and adults together to work as equal partners as appropriate
Builds young people’s connections to their own identity, culture and community helping them to see their own social capital and supporting the extension of social capital through mentoring
Engages young people as leaders on issues that matter to them

Date: Tuesday, Feb. 6th
Time: 9am-12pm
Location: UVA - Wise University
Register to attend!
Meet Your Facilitator:
Dwayne Bennett has been with MENTOR Virginia for over a decade, first as a mentor, and now as Lead Trainer and a Technical Assistance Consultant. During this time, Dwayne has personally trained over 4,000 mentors and mentees. Of the over 150 programs that Dwayne has worked with, most recently Dwayne has trained or provided technical assistance to Capital One, Armstrong Leadership Program, VCU’s African American Alumni Council, Micah Association (Richmond Hill), VCU Health Services, Brunswick County High School, Jumpstart Mentoring, Hampton University, and Richmond Public Schools. Dwayne specializes in trauma-informed care, the growth mindset, incorporating a DEI lens to mentoring, critical mentoring, school-based mentoring, leadership development, communication, goal setting, connecting principles, and others. Further, Dwayne has been a featured speaker and panelist for various organizations and educational institutions using his expertise to discuss best practices and building of mentoring programs both domestically and around the globe. Dwayne is the author of two books: From Worry to Winning: The 7 Winning Ways to Your Personal Success and The 7 Winning Ways to College Success: From High School to College.

Hear from Tamice about the Connect | Focus | Grow curriculum

Capitol Hill Day 2024
2024-01-24 10:00 - 18:00 (America/Detroit) | 999 9TH STREET NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, USA, 20001
MENTOR’s Capitol Hill Day brings together stakeholders from across the youth mentoring movement, including mentoring program staff, volunteer mentors, funders, researchers and public officials who have seen firsthand the positive impact a caring adult mentor can have in the life of a young person.
Advocates participating in Capitol Hill Day travel to DC a day early to attend an in-person training and meeting and networking with peers from across the country. This year, advocates will hear from young people, elected leaders and a panel of Congressional staff about the impact they can have.
THIS EVENT IS NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS.

January CMWS: Building Your Program: Program Development from the Ground Up
2024-01-18 13:00 - 14:30 (America/Detroit)
Addressing the fundamentals of how to develop a youth mentoring program, this is the first in a series of three webinars on grassroots mentoring. This workshop is helpful to those new to mentoring along with individuals who wish to enhance their grasp of the basics. Presenters begin by describing the initial design process, to include making decisions on the mentoring model, size of the program, as well as staffing and other resources needed. Facilitators go on to discuss how to use documents such as Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring to create a smooth-running operational system. They also describe essential forms and other materials, along with the trainings typically furnished to program participants. This webinar focuses on how to gain the expertise needed for directing a youth mentoring initiative. Attendees will leave this workshop with increased confidence, and with a better understanding of how to design and implement a safe and effective mentoring program.
Register to attend!

January's Community-Based Mentoring: Community of Practice
2024-01-18 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Detroit)
Sign up for the next meeting here.
Join us for this month’s meeting of the Community-Based Mentoring community of practice group. This group is open to all mentoring program professionals who are involved with mentoring programs that operate with a community-based model. Meetings each month focus on providing dedicated space to:

Collaborate with peers who are working in mentoring programs with similar models
Exchange resources, materials, and ideas with other programs on what works in community-based mentoring
Stay abreast of new research and trends in the mentoring field
Connect with Virginia’s mentoring community and begin developing deeper relationships with peers
Access resources and guidance from MENTOR Virginia

Questions about this group? Email Emma, pr@mentorva.org
Sign up for the next meeting here.

January Community Coffee Hour
2024-01-10 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Detroit)
Grab your coffee or tea, and join your mentoring program peers and MENTOR Virginia on Wednesday, January 10th from 9:00 – 10:00 am for Community Coffee Hour. We’ll be having a discussion on ways mentoring programs can partner with local law enforcement.
MENTOR Virginia will virtually host Community Coffee Hour every 2nd Wednesday of the month with mentoring program staff to create space for peer-to-peer learning and resource sharing, and to address issues you and your organization might be facing during the pandemic and beyond. We hope to see you at an upcoming Community Coffee Hour!
Register to attend!
Meet Our Guest Speakers:
More info to come!

January Public New Mentor Training
2024-01-09 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Detroit)

Connect | Focus | Grow - Region 7
2023-12-13 10:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Northern Virginia Community College’s Brault Building Room 321, 4001 Wakefield Chapel Road, Annandale, Virginia, 22203
The Connect | Focus | Grow training was developed as part of the National Mentoring Project, a pilot project managed by MENTOR in partnership with the America’s Promise Alliance / Center for Promise and with support from the Schultz Family Foundation. The National Mentoring Project aims to expand the web of quality relationship supports and social capital that younger employees/mentees/interns need to develop the skills necessary to successfully navigate the workplace including securing and sustaining employment.
Underlying this training is MENTOR’s guiding vision, which is that all younger employees, mentees, and interns have access to a web of support from caring adults and can form empowering relationships that:

Promote the pursuit of the younger employees/mentees/intern’s passions, skills and interests
Enable younger employees/mentees/interns access to and exploration of spaces where these can be pursued
Help younger employees/mentees/interns overcome personal and/or institutional obstacles

This vision is underpinned by the approach MENTOR uses to help adults and younger employees form relationships, which is grounded in positive development and youth-centrism. This approach:

Recognizes that young people are assets and experts about themselves and their communities
Supports young people in identifying and building strengths
Brings young people and adults together to work as equal partners as appropriate
Builds young people’s connections to their own identity, culture and community helping them to see their own social capital and supporting the extension of social capital through mentoring
Engages young people as leaders on issues that matter to them

Date: 12/13/2023
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Northern Virginia Community College’s Brault Building Room 321 located at 4001 Wakefield Chapel Road, Annandale, Virginia, 22203 (In-person training)

Register to attend!
Meet Your Facilitator:

Tamice Spencer-Helms is a published author, speaker, and trainer based in Richmond, Virginia. graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2006. She has since been in the non-profit sector, serving thousands of young adults and college students. In addition to her Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies and Copywriting, Tamice has a Masters of Arts in Contextual Leadership and a Masters of Arts in Theology. She is credentialed in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, LGBTQ+ gender and sexuality studies.
Tamice is a thought-leader in culturally relevant and critically conscious campus engagement among Black College students. She co-founded an Atlanta-based collective for HBCU campus practitioners and planted six student-led chapters on HBCU campuses in the southeast. She has served as Senior Director of Student Leadership & Engagement at Virginia Union University, where she also taught courses in religious studies. Currently, she trains youth mentors in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is certified in training related to LGBTQ+ sexuality and gender identity and is a green belt in Lean Six Sigma.
Over the years, Tamice has been a change-maker and pioneer for young people in her community. Throughout her life, Tamice has connected, supported, and ministered to countless young adults. Her friendly and down-to-earth approach to public speaking and teaching, as well as her dedication to research and learning, has helped empower and inspire people in her community and beyond. In 2018 Tamice went on to found Sub:Culture Incorporated, a nonprofit that provides holistic support and crisis relief for Black College Students.
Tamice lives in the East End of Richmond with her partner Ellison and her daughter Harlym. In her free time she enjoys discussing and dissecting hip-hop, reading nonfiction, writing, watching documentaries, singing with her daughter, and eating her partner’s homemade pizza. She released her first book, Faith Unleavened this past year.
Hear from Tamice about the Connect | Focus | Grow curriculum

December Community Coffee Hour
2023-12-13 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Detroit)
Grab your coffee or tea, and join your mentoring program peers and MENTOR Virginia on Wednesday, December 13th from 9:00 – 10:00 am for Community Coffee Hour. In our November session we had two program administrators sharing about ways they include youth voice in programming. In this session, we will discuss ways we can include youth in data collection activities to support evaluation and continuous improvement. We’ll be joined by John Harris of MENTOR Virginia and Manolya Tanyu from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) for a discussion on incorporating youth voice in program evaluation and continuous improvement efforts. In this interactive session, John and Manolya will help us think through benefits of involving youth and how we can achieve meaningful youth involvement.
MENTOR Virginia will virtually host Community Coffee Hour every 2nd Wednesday of the month with mentoring program staff to create space for peer-to-peer learning and resource sharing, and to address issues you and your organization might be facing during the pandemic and beyond. We hope to see you at an upcoming Community Coffee Hour!
Register to attend!
Meet Our Guest Speakers:

John Harris specializes in program evaluation and survey development with a particular focus on assessing match characteristics. He has worked as an independent consultant supporting mentoring programs since 2000. He joined the MENTOR Virginia team as a Technical Assistance Consultant in 2016. The National Mentoring Resource Center’s work dovetails perfectly with John’s mission to make high-quality evaluation and consultation useful and affordable to all mentoring programs.
John is the lead author of the Match Characteristics Questionnaire (MCQ) and the Youth Mentoring Survey (YMS), which are recommended by the National Mentoring Resource Center (NMRC) and used around the world. His publications have focused on mentoring relationship quality and include peer-reviewed journal articles, toolkit contributions, and the chapters, “Assessing Mentoring Relationships,” in both editions of the Handbook of Youth Mentoring (DuBois & Karcher, Ed.s). In 2015, John partnered with the School Volunteer Program (now EdConnect) in Australia to develop an evaluation toolkit that won a National Social Impact award.
John earned his Masters at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education many, many years ago. He currently works and lives in Fairfax, VA, with his wife and two wonderful kids.

Manolya Tanyu, PhD, a senior researcher at AIR, brings 15 years of expertise in evaluations of community and school-based initiatives, programs, and services to promote youth development. Dr. Tanyu is an advocate for supportive youth-adult relationships as a way to promote well-being and resilience and reduce delinquent behavior and system involvement. She has worked on several federally funded research studies of mentoring programs examining implementation and outcomes. She joined our November 2022 community coffee hour last year to share on the national study of the YMCA’s Reach & Rise® Mentoring program and therapeutic mentoring. Dr. Tanyu is committed to sharing research to contribute to practice and working with practitioners to build data and evaluation capacities. She is also passionate about bringing youth voice into programs and initiatives that serve youth. She is a Research Board member at the National Mentoring Resource Center where she provides evaluation technical assistance, conducts resource reviews, and writes for practitioners. She lives in Fairfax, VA and is a volunteer mentor for Fairfax County Public Schools’ MentorWorks program.

December Public New Mentor Training
2023-12-12 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Detroit)

Connect | Focus | Grow - Region 7 (Virtual)
2023-11-30 10:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
The Connect | Focus | Grow training was developed as part of the National Mentoring Project, a pilot project managed by MENTOR in partnership with the America’s Promise Alliance / Center for Promise and with support from the Schultz Family Foundation. The National Mentoring Project aims to expand the web of quality relationship supports and social capital that younger employees/mentees/interns need to develop the skills necessary to successfully navigate the workplace including securing and sustaining employment.
Underlying this training is MENTOR’s guiding vision, which is that all younger employees, mentees, and interns have access to a web of support from caring adults and can form empowering relationships that:

Promote the pursuit of the younger employees/mentees/intern’s passions, skills and interests
Enable younger employees/mentees/interns access to and exploration of spaces where these can be pursued
Help younger employees/mentees/interns overcome personal and/or institutional obstacles

This vision is underpinned by the approach MENTOR uses to help adults and younger employees form relationships, which is grounded in positive development and youth-centrism. This approach:

Recognizes that young people are assets and experts about themselves and their communities
Supports young people in identifying and building strengths
Brings young people and adults together to work as equal partners as appropriate
Builds young people’s connections to their own identity, culture and community helping them to see their own social capital and supporting the extension of social capital through mentoring
Engages young people as leaders on issues that matter to them

Date: 11/30/2023
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Register to attend!
Meet Your Facilitator:

Tamice Spencer-Helms is a published author, speaker, and trainer based in Richmond, Virginia. graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2006. She has since been in the non-profit sector, serving thousands of young adults and college students. In addition to her Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies and Copywriting, Tamice has a Masters of Arts in Contextual Leadership and a Masters of Arts in Theology. She is credentialed in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, LGBTQ+ gender and sexuality studies.
Tamice is a thought-leader in culturally relevant and critically conscious campus engagement among Black College students. She co-founded an Atlanta-based collective for HBCU campus practitioners and planted six student-led chapters on HBCU campuses in the southeast. She has served as Senior Director of Student Leadership & Engagement at Virginia Union University, where she also taught courses in religious studies. Currently, she trains youth mentors in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is certified in training related to LGBTQ+ sexuality and gender identity and is a green belt in Lean Six Sigma.
Over the years, Tamice has been a change-maker and pioneer for young people in her community. Throughout her life, Tamice has connected, supported, and ministered to countless young adults. Her friendly and down-to-earth approach to public speaking and teaching, as well as her dedication to research and learning, has helped empower and inspire people in her community and beyond. In 2018 Tamice went on to found Sub:Culture Incorporated, a nonprofit that provides holistic support and crisis relief for Black College Students.
Tamice lives in the East End of Richmond with her partner Ellison and her daughter Harlym. In her free time she enjoys discussing and dissecting hip-hop, reading nonfiction, writing, watching documentaries, singing with her daughter, and eating her partner’s homemade pizza. She released her first book, Faith Unleavened this past year.
Hear from Tamice about the Connect | Focus | Grow curriculum

November Public New Mentor Training
2023-11-14 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Detroit)
