Building Blocks of Quality Mentoring Programs

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Farewell from Ms. Mentor

Ms. Mentor is back to give you a fond send-off as you reach the end of this training module. But before you go, she would like to check your quality mentoring program know-how one last time. Simply choose the response that you think is the best recommendation for each mentoring program issue. Then Ms. Mentor will give you her parting advice.

Dear Ms. Mentor:

As the casework supervisor in a busy community based mentoring program, I am concerned with economizing my caseworkers' time. One area in which we could save some time is child safety training. Local schools already do this kind of instruction with the kids. Is it really necessary for us to duplicate training they have already received?

Aiming for Efficiency

Dear Ms. Mentor:

I am getting ready to retire as the Executive Director of a small mentoring program for children in the care of child welfare. In recent years I have begun to recognize that there is a lot of overlap between what my mentoring program does and the work of a larger local mentoring organization. From what I have learned in meetings with their Executive Director, I think the other program is stronger than mine, and would actually have a lot to offer my program. I think my program should probably be working more closely with the other organization in some way, but I'm not sure which way would be best, especially given that I will not be around much longer and my board is burning out. I feel a responsibility to address this issue with my board before I leave in two months time. How should I advise my board to work with the larger program?

Willing to Work Together

Network
Partner
Merge

Dear Ms. Mentor:

As a school based mentoring program board member, I am very concerned about potential liabilities. Suppose we have a mentor who breaks our policy of no offsite contact, and takes his mentee on an outing in the community. While on that outing, he does harm to a child. Because he is acting beyond the scope of our program, the organization could not be found liable in a civil suit - could it?

Paranoid

Dear Ms. Mentor:

The mental health organization I work for started a new mentoring program for children whose parents have a mental illness one year ago using some surplus revenues. We want to continue the program in the coming year, so we are now applying for funding to support it. I need to prove to potential funders that the program is effective, but unfortunately no evaluation was done in the program's first year. Is it too late to do some sort of evaluation that will help me to sell this program?

Illiterate in Evaluation

Ms. Mentor would like to congratulate you on completing this online course, and wish you good luck in unleashing the powerful potential of mentoring! May your quality mentoring program help to build positive futures for all its mentees, fulfilling experiences for its mentors, and a caring, supportive community.

Before you leave the online course, look over a list of resources that will help you to continue to build your mentoring program and advance the mentoring cause.

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