Grantees

The Mentor Connector is expanding our Positive Action group mentoring program to serve 35 additional vulnerable youth with bi-weekly social-emotional skill-building tools and resources. The Positive Action Group Mentoring Program is one such program that utilizes two evidence-based interventions (group curriculum and one-on-one mentoring) as a multi-layered approach to enhance outcomes and provide sustainable, long-term support to youth. Bi-monthly meetings are established to 1) provide a platform for youth to discuss and learn tools to reduce stress, enhance refusal skills, and improve prosocial behavior and 2) an engaging group activity to expose youth to new activities and connect youth with each other.

To launch a pilot year for Power Breakfast, a reading and mentoring program modeled after the power lunch program.

A mentoring program in Rutland County

New England Youth Theatre is rebooting our Peer Mentorship Program, which was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic as programming was scaled down to focus on smaller group sizes. This program is designed for youth ages 13-18 who are interested in deepening relationships with other students and staff at NEYT as they work together on projects. Peer Mentors will focus on developing leadership, communication, team work, and confidence. Each participant will take on responsibilities in support of NEYT programs through a role that aligns with their interests. Throughout the program, a cohort of 12 Peer Mentors will be supported through the process of planning and implementing three events at NEYT with aspects of performance, community engagement, and education.

Windsor County Mentors has provided youth mentoring services in Windsor County, VT, for 50 years. Over this time, Windsor County Mentors has developed a robust mentoring infrastructure with both school-based and community match programs, creating over 1,500 mentoring pairs across these rural communities. The need for this program is clear, as high rates of absenteeism and social isolation continue to negatively impact students in our largely rural service area. Over the past three years, they have continued to expand at the request of schools and parent groups into areas that entirely lack mentorship programs.

To increase the capacity of the school-based mentoring programs of the Mentor Connector to four new schools. Connecting mentors with children in grades 1-5 to assist them in areas of need as assessed by teachers and counselors.

The Side-by-Side Mentoring Program is a collaborative between the Mentor Connector (MC) and the Rutland County Parent-Child Center (PCPCC) to provide one-on-one mentoring support to young parents, many of who do not have positive role models in their lives. This program works to stop the poverty cycle by helping teen parents to develop a responsive, responsible parenting style; stabilize the family unit; link the family to community-based services, and aid the parents to enhance their self-esteem.

A site-based mentoring program in Brattleboro, VT.