January is National Mentoring Month and FCAN’s Assistant Director for Network Partnerships, Kathy McDonald, was recently joined by guest presenters Marci Poston, Director of Programmatic and Professional Development Services at Take Stock in Children (TSIC), and Tatila Brock, a TSIC alumna who currently serves as Take Stock in Children Program Director and Student Services Coordinator at the Education Foundation of Alachua County, for a webinar examining the profound impact mentoring can have on student success.

Take Stock in Children (TSIC) has a two-decade track record of changing lives through proven mentoring strategies that help students reveal their potential. The January 18 webinar highlighted strategies for establishing an effective mentoring program.

Six Keys to a Successful Mentoring Program

  1. Align your mentoring program to that of your organization’s mission.
  2. Set up the mentoring relationship to be goal-oriented, so both mentor and mentee know what they are working towards.
  3. Provide accountability so both mentor and mentee know what they are agreeing to. Tie student outcomes to strategies that will help them be successful, such as keeping their grades up and remaining alcohol/crime/drug-free.
  4. Include the ability for ongoing monitoring. The mentors should have some mechanism for logging their sessions so their progress can be tracked.
  5. Provide support for mentors and set realistic expectations. It will take time to build a relationship with their mentee.
  6. Deliver training and other resources (e.g. activities) for mentors so they feel ready to successfully support their mentees.

Up Next: Take Stock in College

During the webinar, Marci offered a quick overview of Take Stock in College, a new program that seeks to dramatically increase the college completion rate of TSIC graduates by extending mentoring services into their college years.

Steven Kissinger, Vice President of Programs and Innovation at TSIC, will lead a session titled “Take Stock in College” at the 2019 Florida College Access Network Summit, which will take place May 7-8 at the Rosen Centre in Orlando. Visit fcansummit.org for more information and to register.

Show Notes

To learn more proven mentoring strategies and how to support mentors in changing the lives of students, take advantage of these resources.

Recording
Webinar Slides
Plan It Florida brochure

Be sure to visit our Past Webinars page for access to recordings and downloadable material from FCAN’s previous presentations.

Pin It on Pinterest

Skip to content