Conference Agenda & Session Descriptions
8:30a.m. – 9:00a.m. – Registration
9:00a.m. – 9:30a.m. – Welcome and Plenary Session
Plenary Session
In late August 2009, Mentor Kenosha & Racine (MKR) received word that the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention had awarded our mentoring partnership with a nearly half million dollar grant to help grow mentoring services for area middle school students. Through this plenary session, MKR Advisory Council Chairperson Mark Gesner and MKR AmeriCorps*VISTA member Michelle Dolnik, will provide an overview of the grant and how it has shaped this year's conference. Updates regarding training, program certification, and recruitment efforts will also be reviewed.
9:30a.m. – 11:00a.m. – Keynote Address:
Mentoring for Resiliency: Building “Bounce Back” Kids
Nan Henderson, President, Resiliency in Action
In this training, participants will thoroughly examine the research base of resiliency that is emerging from the fields of psychology, psychiatry, sociology, and education. The emphasis of the training will be practical application of these research findings in strategies that can be used to move children and youth "from risk to resiliency." Examples of practices and programs that help to build resiliency will be shared with mentors of middle school age children.
11:00a.m. – 11:15a.m. – Break
11:15a.m. – 12:30p.m – Workshop Session I:
A. Activities for Identifying, Teaching, and Growing Resiliency: You’ve Got the Power!
Resiliency and other Positive Youth Development research clearly shows that the most powerful positive changes in young people’s lives happen as a result of one-to-one personal relationships. For many young people, relationships with educators, youth workers, and mentors are often the most powerful contributors to healthy, resilient life outcomes.
In this interactive workshop, Nan Henderson will share several activities that any caring adult can use to connect a young person with his/her resiliency, help the young person to name it, see how to use it, and how to make it grow. This is a very empowering presentation, and adults in attendance will also learn more about their personal resilience.
Ms. Henderson created these activities from her resiliency research, and they are framed in a way that increases the power you have right now to create positive change in those you care about.
B. How to Grow Your Mentoring Program without Becoming Overwhelmed!
Do you work with an established mentoring program that is thinking about expanding? Simply diving into the process without guidance can lead to poor outcomes and potentially hurt the program. Learn how to grow your program the right way from Joan Jacobs, Principal Consultant at Chrysalis Solutions, LLC, one of the region’s foremost experts on program expansion. This workshop will help participants learn how to expand their program in thoughtful and sustainable fashion.
C. Panel Discussion: Transitioning Youth from Gangs to Growth
More and more kids are becoming exposed to the pressures of joining a gang. An alarming number of them are in elementary school when they are first targeted. A panel of local experts in the field of gang prevention and intervention will discuss how to keep kids out of gangs and how to work with those who are gang-affiliated. Time will be provided for questions and answers.
D. Guiding Your Mentee Down a Healthy Career Path
Being prepared for the workforce is just as important as finishing school. Today’s youth must be prepared to enter a diversified and demanding workforce by fostering soft, as well as hard skills. This workshop will help participants understand how to prepare youth for the job market by emphasizing work readiness skills and how mentoring can help young people get jobs. Hear about local opportunities for youth in the Kenosha and Racine communities.
12:30p.m. – 1:45p.m. – Appreciative Inquiry Lunch: Building a Strong and Collaborative Professional Mentoring Network
What would happen if our organizations focused on strengths instead of problems? What progress could we achieve if we celebrated our successes and examined the strategies that worked well? Together lets appreciate the development of our efforts and feast on a menu that can nourish our mentor network into the future.
1:30p.m. – 1:45p.m. – Break
1:45p.m. – 3:00p.m. – Workshop Session II:
A. Activities for Identifying, Teaching, and Growing Resiliency: You’ve Got the Power!
(Session Repeat)
B. Becoming a Certified Program: An Overview of Mentor Kenosha & Racine’s
Certification Process
One service that Mentor Kenosha & Racine (MKR) offers is a certification process for local mentoring programs. The certification recognizes programs who demonstrate research-based best practices, and becoming certified allows programs to receive recruitment support from MKR. To date, MKR has certified four programs and is assisting others in the process. Learn more about the benefits offered exclusively to certified programs and the ins and outs of the certification process.
C. Juvenile Justice Panel: Understanding the Consequences
Understanding and navigating the juvenile justice system can be difficult for even the most experienced mentor program leaders, youth workers, and educators. However, knowing how the system works is crucial to keeping kids out of it. Local judges and other experts in the area of juvenile justice will explain what you need to know about the juvenile justice system and how to work with youth who have been adjudicated. This session will allow participants to ask questions and gain practical knowledge about the inner workings of the juvenile justice system.
D. Building a Pipeline: Connecting Mentor Programs and School Districts
One of the keys to a mentoring program’s success is having a close working relationship with the local school district. A healthy partnership with school staff is a necessity when trying to create a successful and purposeful mentoring relationship between the mentor and mentee. Representatives from the Kenosha and Racine school districts and local mentoring programs will provide guidance and respond to questions about how to create school/community program partnerships that are effective and lasting.
3:00p.m. – 4:00p.m. – Networking and Schmoozing
Use this hour to network with other professionals in the mentoring field and learn about resources available to you and your program. Keynote speaker Nan Henderson will be signing copies of her highly-acclaimed "Resiliency in Action" book that will be available for purchase. Various organizations will be displaying the resources they have available, and area mentoring experts will be on hand to provide individual consultations. Often the very best outcome from a conference is conferring with colleagues and building partnerships -- don’t miss out on this great opportunity to make new connections!
