MENTOR IR will be at the National Mentoring Summit 2024!

The 2024 National Mentoring Summit is taking place Jan 24 – 26, 2024 in Washington DC and our MENTOR Independence Team will be there contributing to the discussion with three dynamic presentations!

First, our team member Adelaide Moschler will be presenting “Building Youth Power in Mentoring Programs” which explores the concept of youth voice –both convenient voices and inconvenient voices – and ways that programs can engage with those youth voices to improve their programs. Later that day, Abigail Ellis is co-presenting with our colleague Marcus Strother from MENTOR California on a workshop titled “Centering Opportunity Youth in Workforce Development” that explores the unique needs of this population and evidence-based practices in engaging and retaining them in programs that promote meaningful employment. And on Friday, Elizabeth Caldarola is presenting “Minimize Risk, Maximize Engagement: Supporting Relationships with High Quality Documentation”, highlighting the importance of documentation, demonstrating the ways that good documentation supports more effective programs, and providing actions that organizations can implement right now to improve their efforts.

The National Mentoring Summit, held every year in Washington DC during National Mentoring Month, is an amazing opportunity for mentoring practitioners, researchers, philanthropic investors, youth leaders, government and civic leaders, and Affiliates from across the country to unite under the shared goal of driving positive change for young people. Attendees have the opportunity to learn from one another, form new connections, and explore best practices for strengthening and expanding the youth mentoring movement.

With more than one hundred workshops to choose from the Summit is sure to add new information and tools to support to your work and mentoring strategies. But the summit isn’t just about knowledge; it’s also about the connections you make. Networking is a critical component of any successful organization, and the National Mentoring Summit offers a unique opportunity to connect with over one thousand like-minded individuals and organizations from across the country and the globe.
Interacting with peers, mentors, youth, and experts in the field, attendees helps you discover new approaches, learn about innovative resources, and even find potential partners or collaborators. These connections result in more robust, resource-rich, and influential youth mentoring programs.

The Summit is scheduled right after Capitol Hill Day, which is an opportunity to attend meetings with your legislators on the Hill and advocate for an expansion of federal funding for mentoring. Your stories of impact underscore the need for additional funds to surround young people with supportive, caring relationships that help them thrive! As a Capitol Hill Day participant, you’ll be prepared for your hill day meetings with training on effective meetings with legislators, and knowledge and documentation of the legislation we are advocating for nationally. You’ll also have a state Captain to provide you with guidance. In Pennsylvania, Abigail Ellis and Colleen Fedor (Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern PA) are the State Co-Captains.

Join the movement and register today! We hope to see you in DC in January!