Wisconsin Mentoring Conference: Quality Counts

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - January 10, 2012: Register today for the 5th Annual Mentoring Conference January 20 at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside, hosted by Mentor Kenosha & Racine, a member of the collaborative Midwest Region Mentoring Hub in the process of affiliating with MENTOR.

The theme for the conference is Quality Counts: Making a Positive Impact with Youth. More than 150 youth development professionals, program leaders, educators and volunteers are expected to attend the sessions focusing on how to create and maintain high quality programming and mentoring.

Jim Conway, an author and senior trainer with the Search Institute, will deliver the event’s keynote address. Conway works with organizations and communities wanting to build Developmental Assets for and with youth, start a communitywide initiative or create organizational and community change on behalf of youth.

“We also are offering workshops on several topics ranging from equipping your organization with evaluation tools and recruiting and retaining minority staff and volunteers to making the connection between outcome measurements and funding opportunities,” said Mentor Kenosha & Racine Coordinator Crista Kruse. “We even have a session on getting young people connected to the sciences, so we are looking forward to a very interesting and productive day.”

Two years ago Mentor Kenosha & Racine received a major boost with funding from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in order to focus on school-based mentoring for middle school students. “I am delighted that through this conference and our other collaborative mentoring outreach efforts at the University of Wisconsin — Parkside we can help support the development of quality programs locally and across the state,” said Director of Community Development for the University and Principal Investigator for the OJJDP grant Mark Gesner.“It is also exciting to be collaborating with state and national partners through MENTOR, whose expertise enables our local partners to benefit from the very best tools and information available.”

MENTOR’s Chief Executive Officer David Shapiro said, "Mentor Kenosha & Racine and the Midwest Region Mentoring Hub are setting the stage for the kind of unified learning and networking experience for the mentoring field in Wisconsin that is a hallmark of Mentoring Partnerships across the country. MENTOR looks forward to helping with the evolution of the Midwest Regional Hub and conveying conference lessons that will benefit the quality of the whole field."

To register for the 5th Annual Mentoring Conference, click here. Scholarships and group discounts are available by contacting Crista Kruse at (262) 595-2604 or kruse@uwp.edu.

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