1 An Introduction to Mentoring and the Alberta Mentoring Partnership

AMP is a partnership of government ministries, community mentoring organizations, and youth representation working together to raise the profile of mentoring in Alberta. AMP exists to help community mentoring programs meet the needs of the children and youth they serve. 2 Alberta Mentoring Partnership (AMP)

Vision: Every child or youth who needs a mentor has access to a mentor. 3 Mission: Grow sustainable mentoring across Alberta through a shared services approach.

Objectives of AMP Phase III: Increase mentoring across the province. 2. Continue to increase community and organizational capacity for mentoring. 3. Develop and support a collective impact approach to ensure the ongoing relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of AMP. 4. Establish a repository of research and knowledge on mentoring. 4

Alberta Mentoring Partnership (AMP)  There are thousands of students in our province who could benefit from having a significant adult presence in their lives.  Many Albertans are not aware of the powerful benefits of mentoring.  There is a shortage of volunteers. 5

Alberta Mentoring Partnership (AMP) 6

Mentoring is the presence of a caring individual who provides a young person with support, advice, friendship, reinforcement and constructive role- modelling over time. Mentoring is about building relationships. 7

Mentoring Types Social Skills Transitions Career Cultural Academic FOCUS One-to-One Group Team Teen E-Mentoring VARIATION In-School Off-site E-mentoring After-School SETTING 8

Mentoring Types 9

Mentoring Frameworks 10 Mentoring Organization Matched and supervised Mentors & Mentees Outside Regular School Day Traditional Community-Based Formal Mentoring Program School Based Formal Mentoring Program Partnership with a Mentoring Organization Teen & Peer Mentoring Programs During School Day Character Education & Social Skills Programs Career Awareness & Explorations Cross-Age Projects Leadership Program Activities School Transition Practices Ethnic & Cultural Activities Athletic Teams & Sports Activities Homework Clubs Literacy Projects Parent/Community Volunteer Activities After-school groups (eg. Boys & Girls Clubs, 4-H, Junior Achievement, Athletic Clubs, etc) Informal Mentoring

Mentoring is Powerful! Mentoring is a powerful way of supporting a young person by teaching skills, listening to their perspectives and fostering in them a sense of belonging. 11

Benefits of Mentoring  Positive impact on school attendance, social skills, attitude and behaviour with friends and family.  Helps prevent involvement in alcohol, drugs and crime. 12

Critical Components of Positive Change An analysis of 40 years of research found the best predictor of successful change are two factors: 1) engagement in meaningful relationship 2) engagement in meaningful activities 83% of change involves these two factors 17% is a result of technique (Miller & Duncan, 1997)

Benefits to Children and Youth 1 14

BBBS and CAMH Largest Mentoring Study in Canada (January, 2013) Key findings: Girls with a Big Sister are two and a half times more likely than girls without a mentor to be confident in their ability to be successful at school. Girls in the study with a Big Sister were four times less likely to bully, fight, lie or express anger than girls without a mentor. Boys with a Big Brother are three times less likely than boys without a mentor to suffer peer pressure related anxiety, such as worrying about what other children think or say about them. Mentored boys are two times more likely to believe that school is fun and that doing well academically is important. Mentored boys are also two times less likely than non-mentored boys to develop negative conducts like bullying, fighting, lying, cheating, losing their temper or expressing anger. 15

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Houses lots of helpful tools and resources for Mentoring Programs and Mentors. 17

Become an AMP Partner! 18 Visit Click on “Apply for Partnership with AMP” Complete and submit the application.

Online Mentor & Mentee Training 19

Create a Mentoring Program Toolkit 20

Mentor Training Event Toolkit 21

The Five CTS Mentoring Courses Course HSS1050: Introduction to Mentorship Course HSS2050: Becoming a Mentor Course HSS3060: Extending the Mentoring Relationship Course HSS3070: Peer Mentoring Course HSS3050: Becoming a Mentee 22

Additional Resources 23

For more information, please contact: : Add your contact information here, or include AMP’s contact information: Alberta Mentoring Partnership Follow the Alberta Mentoring Partnership on… 24

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