MENTOR Vermont envisions a future in which every young person in Vermont has the supportive mentoring relationships they need to grow and develop into thriving, productive, and engaged adults. In order to achieve this goal, we have collaborated with our funding partners to create the Vermont Mentoring Grants. With funding support from the A.D. Henderson Foundation, the Vermont Department for Children and Families, and the Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children, MENTOR Vermont strives to support, expand, and enhance the quality of existing mentoring programs, while also to helping to establish new youth-adult mentoring programs. We support this critical work by making grants and providing technical assistance, with the ultimate goal of sustainably increasing the quality and quantity of mentoring matches statewide.
To learn more about the Vermont Mentoring Grants, please visit our Vermont Mentoring Grants page.
In collaboration with MENTOR: National, and other MENTOR affiliates, MENTOR Vermont has implemented the National Quality Mentoring System for Vermont.
The National Quality Mentoring System (NQMS) is designed to help youth-adult mentoring programs ensure that they are meeting best practices and receive recognition for doing so.
MENTOR Vermont encourages all adult-youth mentoring programs in Vermont to participate in the NQMS process. To begin the process, contact [email protected].
Mentoring programs and agencies that have participated in the NQMS process:
- Big Brother Big Sisters of Vermont
- Cabot Mentoring
- Connecting Youth Mentoring
- The Collaborative
- The DREAM Program
- Empower Up! Windsor Central Mentoring Program
- Everybody Wins! Vermont
- Youth First Mentoring
- Grand Isle County Mentoring
- King Street Center Mentoring Program
- The Mentor Connector
- The Mentoring Project of the Upper Valley
- Milton Mentors
- Mt. Abraham Unified School District
- New Circle Mentoring Program
- Spectrum Mentoring
- Twinfield Together Mentoring Program
- Watershed Mentoring
- Windsor County Mentors
About the Database
Since 2013, MENTOR Vermont has managed the Vermont Mentoring Database, a mentoring program data management system built by CiviCore and based on feedback and direct input from mentoring programs, funders, and MENTOR Vermont staff. MENTOR Vermont manages this system, helps new programs join, and provides ongoing training and technical support for users. To learn more about the system, we encourage you to reach out to Chad Butt ([email protected]) for a complimentary tour of the system.
Two Levels of Access to the System
- A free account (available to all mentoring programs in the state) which many mentoring agencies have already used or are currently using to update information about their programs and agencies for their pages in the statewide mentoring program directory.
- A paid annual account (view our pricing details) which will allow mentoring programs to store and track ongoing information about their mentors and mentees, including valuable demographic and outcome data. Mentoring staff members will be able to manage match information, and mentors will both be able to apply and submit information about their mentoring sessions through the system. We are continually bringing interested programs on board to the full (paid) version of the system. If you are interested in signing up, please contact [email protected].
Support for the Vermont Mentoring Database
We are grateful to our partners at the A.D. Henderson Foundation, who funded the design and first year of implementation of the system. The pricing structure was developed based on input from programs who were willing to pay for a database but were unable to afford the cost of the national mentoring database, and was reviewed by the statewide members of the Program Leadership Council. The program fees allow MENTOR Vermont to pay for CiviCore’s annual fee for hosting and maintaining the system, as well as create future additions to the system based on program feedback and needs.
MENTOR Vermont is an affiliate of MENTOR National and an official technical assistance provider of the
National Mentoring Resource Center, a project of MENTOR and Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).
In the Fall of 2014, MENTOR and the OJJDP launched the National Mentoring Resource Center. The Resource Center is a comprehensive, reliable resource for mentoring tools, best practices, and training opportunities that is designed to improve the quality and effectiveness of youth mentoring across the nation.
MENTOR Vermont is partnering with MENTOR to offer mentoring programs in Vermont the opportunity to apply for individualized program assistance through the National Mentoring Resource Center at no cost to them or their agencies. This program assistance will be provided by MENTOR Vermont, local experienced mentoring coordinators, and experts in the field. Requests for assistance should be for aspects to help your program ensure it aligns with the national standards for quality-based mentoring, The Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring™. Requests may also be for enhancements of programs that go beyond required best practices. MENTOR Vermont looks forward to working with programs across the state to utilize this great opportunity.
How to Apply
If your Vermont-based mentoring agency is interested in receiving no-cost technical assistance please contact [email protected] and she can help you apply for support through the National Mentoring Resource Center.
2023 MENTOR Vermont Surveys Overview
MENTOR Vermont is eager to provide program evaluation support and resources to your organization, including
- MENTOR Vermont Youth and Mentor Survey Templates (see bottom of section for Word editable versions)
- MENTOR Vermont Youth and Mentor Survey Questions adapted for Online Administration
- MENTOR Vermont Survey Administration Toolkit
Customizing Survey Templates
We recognize there is not a one-size-fits-all survey applicable to all program models and target populations. These templates are our best effort to capture relevant program data related to demographics, match quality and overall program experience that may be useful for most programs. We encourage programs to modify the templates to better serve your program’s evaluation needs. For example, you may want to add questions more relevant to the unique aspects of your program or omit any questions irrelevant to your program goals. Some programs may choose to eliminate demographic questions already captured in program applications. Question and/or scale language may require modification for a younger reading level (e.g. first graders). When making modifications to the templates, we strongly recommend programs adhere to the guidelines and recommendations outlined in the Survey Administration Toolkit. If you have questions about customizing the templates we encourage you to reach out to [email protected] for support.
Guidance for Vermont Mentoring Grants Recipients
Vermont Mentoring Grants (VMG) recipients are required to conduct a comprehensive yearly survey of youth and mentors measuring quality and match experience (60% minimum return rate). Recipients may use their own surveys for this OR use the templates provided (Youth/Mentor) by MENTOR Vermont. See MENTOR Vermont’s Survey Administration Toolkit for administration guidance and recommendations. Grant recipients must administer the following questions to youth and mentors as written:
- Youth
- My mentor makes me feel like I matter.
- Having a mentor has made a positive difference in my life.
- Mentor
- I have recommended mentoring to a friend, family member, or colleague.
- The mentoring training and/or experience I had over the past year has made me a more effective mentor.
- My confidence as a mentor has increased over the past year.
See the VMG RFP for additional guidance on grant reporting requirements and specific language for corresponding response scales to the youth and mentor questions (e.g. agree, strongly agree).
Additional Resources
For additional evaluation support, MENTOR Vermont encourages agencies to explore the following resources:
- Request technical assistance through the National Mentoring Resource Center (NMRC) to receive personalized one-on-one support with developing a program theory of change and/or comprehensive surveys tailored to measure your program’s impact.
- Visit the NMRC Home Page, the nation’s premier source of training, technical assistance, tools, research summaries, and other information for youth mentoring programs.
- NMRC Measurement Guidance Toolkit for recommended instruments for measuring key youth outcomes in mentoring programs as well as several risk and protective factors that may be relevant to program outcomes.
- NMRC Logic Models and Theories of Change resources for several types of youth mentoring programs. Examples can help programs craft more effective mentoring programs for specific youth populations and outcomes.
- MENTOR Vermont Evaluation Support webpage – COMING SOON!!
Youth Survey
Mentor Survey
Click Here for the 2023 Vermont Mentoring Survey Toolkit
Other Questions?
Reach out to [email protected] if you have questions about the Vermont Mentoring Surveys.
MENTOR Vermont has partnered with Verified Volunteers to implement a national background check system for youth mentoring programs in Vermont. This partnership creates a system for mentoring programs to be able to conduct national criminal record checks on prospective mentors that will provide results within 48 hours, reduce the cost of conducting a national criminal record check, and make the experience simpler and less time consuming for mentors.
For more information, email [email protected].
The Vermont Mentoring Symposium is convened annually by MENTOR Vermont, and is the only professional development and networking opportunity of its kind focused on youth mentoring in Vermont. The conference, both hybrid and in-person, brings together mentoring program staff from across the state, and includes workshops dedicated to current and important topics, and opportunities for the mentoring community to learn from one another.
The 2022 Vermont Mentoring Symposium took place this year virtually on October 25-26th, and in Waterbury, VT on October 27th.
Visit the Vermont Mentoring Symposium webpage to learn more about the event.
MENTOR Vermont hosts a searchable directory of mentoring programs in the state for potential mentors and mentee. Mentoring programs can update and manage their listing on the directory through the free, basic version of the Vermont Mentoring Database. For assistance editing or creating a program listing, contact [email protected].
MENTOR Vermont offers mentoring programs throughout the state support for any aspect of their program. From talking through a difficult mentor match issue to trying to figure out how to improve upon a fundraising event, MENTOR Vermont is here to help.
Additionally, MENTOR Vermont serves as a hub of resources and a connector for mentoring programs. Many of Vermont’s mentoring programs are in areas of the state where there are few or no other mentoring programs nearby. As the statewide mentoring partnership, MENTOR Vermont works to connect mentoring programs to one another to enable peer-to-peer sharing of ideas and support.
Finally, mentoring programs never need to create anything from scratch. MENTOR Vermont has a host of examples of any form, application, or policy that mentoring programs may need.
Please reach out to Chad at [email protected] for any program support needs.
Internet Essentials: Through Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, your mentee and their family may be eligible to receive high-speed home internet for free. Internet Essentials is a part of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Visit the site for eligibility requirements and more information or contact Xfinity/Comcast today at (800) XFINITY (934-6489).
Pathways to Promising Careers: The J. Warren & Lois McClure Foundation and the Vermont Department of Labor recently released the latest edition of Pathways to Promising Careers. This resource highlights 54 of Vermont’s promising jobs—and the education and training pathways that lead to them. Each job is expected to pay an average of at least $20/hour and have at least 100 openings over the next decade. It’s an excellent resource and conversation starter for students of all ages!
Hunger Free Vermont: Hunger Free Vermont is a statewide nonprofit organization that works with state agencies and community groups to end the injustice of hunger and malnutrition for all Vermonters. Their child nutrition team is available to provide free technical assistance to schools or communities to grow and strengthen child nutrition programs. For more information, click here.
Prevent Child Abuse Vermont: Prevent Child Abuse Vermont (PCAV) offers free trainings to support providers, staff, and parents in preventing sexual abuse from occurring. For more information, contact PCAV here or at (802) 229-5724.
