Mentoring News Post

iRT President Presents at the 2024 National Mentoring Summit

2024-02-21T15:16:51+00:00

February 13, 2024, Durham, NC – iRT President Dr. Janis Kupersmidt co-led a workshop at the 14th annual National Mentoring Summit in Washington, DC, last month to discuss the need for additional training for mentors who are serving youth impacted by substance misuse. MENTOR hosts mentoring professionals and advocates from across the nation each year during the National Mentoring Summit to share best practices, reflect on recent research and developments, and discuss future directions related to mentoring. iRT’s mentoring experts have been attendees, presenters, and/or exhibitors at the Mentoring Summit every year since the first annual meeting. Continuing our support for [...]

iRT President Presents at the 2024 National Mentoring Summit2024-02-21T15:16:51+00:00

iRT to Present at the 2024 National Mentoring Summit

2024-01-19T20:03:06+00:00

January 19, 2024, Durham, NC – iRT Research Scientists Drs. Janis Kupersmidt and Katie Stump will present at the 2024 meeting of the annual National Mentoring Summit in Washington, DC, this month. Each year, MENTOR hosts mentoring professionals and advocates from across the nation to take part in expert-led presentations and networking opportunities to share mentoring best practices and drive positive change for young people. The next National Mentoring Summit will be held January 24-26, 2024. Mentoring experts for Mentoring Central, a division of iRT, have been attendees, presenters, and exhibitors at the Mentoring Summit every year since the first annual [...]

iRT to Present at the 2024 National Mentoring Summit2024-01-19T20:03:06+00:00

iRT Welcomes New Research Intern

2024-01-19T20:30:06+00:00

January 19, 2024, Durham, NC – iRT is pleased to welcome Abbey Collins to its team of skilled, world-renowned researchers and creative professionals. Collins joined iRT this month as a research intern to contribute to the research and development of high-quality mentor trainings on topics related to cultural competency. Collins brings a wealth of research experience in the fields of behavioral science and neuroscience to iRT, with publications in the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine (in press), Psychology of Women Quarterly, Experimental Aging Research, and Epilepsy & Behavior. As a current doctoral student in the Department of Applied Social Psychology at North [...]

iRT Welcomes New Research Intern2024-01-19T20:30:06+00:00

Addressing the Nationwide Addiction Crisis with Media Literacy Education, Mentoring, Mindfulness, and More

2024-01-21T01:00:53+00:00

January 17, 2024, Durham, NC – The federal government and medical facilities across the United States have made substantial efforts to impede growth of the national opioid crisis, but trends in substance use have evolved in recent years making it increasingly difficult to thwart the addiction crisis. Updates on the decades-long opioid epidemic and prevention efforts have consistently made headlines as millions of Americans have faced opioid use disorders in the last three years. However, as rates of cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl use continue to climb, it is vital to spread awareness of the pervasiveness of polysubstance use, in addition to [...]

Addressing the Nationwide Addiction Crisis with Media Literacy Education, Mentoring, Mindfulness, and More2024-01-21T01:00:53+00:00

iRT Researcher Contributes to the Development of a Guide for Youth Seeking Mentoring Relationships

2023-11-29T21:39:09+00:00

November 29, 2023, Durham, NC - iRT Research Scientist Dr. Rebecca Stelter joined a working group with other researchers from the National Mentoring Resource Center (NMRC) Research Board to develop a youth-informed guide for young people seeking or entering a mentoring relationship. The guide is now freely available on the NMRC website. Impactful mentoring relationships involve informed participation from both mentors and mentees, as well as support from mentoring program staff and parents. Mentees must feel equally equipped for the mentoring relationship as their mentor, be informed about their role as a mentee, and learn appropriate expectations for the mentoring relationship [...]

iRT Researcher Contributes to the Development of a Guide for Youth Seeking Mentoring Relationships2023-11-29T21:39:09+00:00

A Guide to Finding Evidence-Based and Research-Informed Training Programs for Mentoring

2023-11-30T20:20:49+00:00

November 28, 2023, Durham, NC – Implementing high quality training is an integral step in the process of building and maintaining a successful mentoring program. Research has shown that mentor training programs that prepare mentors to establish a meaningful connection with their mentee may directly impact mentee outcomes, volunteer retention, and mentors’ feelings of satisfaction and self-efficacy as a mentor. Training mentees about what a mentoring relationship is, what they can expect from their match meetings, and how they can benefit from mentoring may ease their anxiety and uncertainty about entering a relationship with a mentor, and therefore yield more positive [...]

A Guide to Finding Evidence-Based and Research-Informed Training Programs for Mentoring2023-11-30T20:20:49+00:00

iRT Releases New Asset-Based, Goal-Oriented Activity Guide for Youth Mentors

2023-11-17T14:48:15+00:00

October 25, 2023, Durham, NC – iRT is pleased to announce the release of Building Assets Together: A Guide for Youth Mentors. Before and throughout their mentoring relationships, mentors often ask staff at their mentoring program for ideas for activities to do with their mentee. Most staff have readily available lists, websites, or brochures of activities to provide to mentors to address this request; however, these resources may not provide clear guidance to mentors for planning activities that incorporate their match’s specific goals, align with their mentee’s strengths and interests, or directly contribute to positive outcomes for their mentee. Research [...]

iRT Releases New Asset-Based, Goal-Oriented Activity Guide for Youth Mentors2023-11-17T14:48:15+00:00

Teaching High School Students to Build Networks of Support with the Connected Scholars Program

2023-10-16T13:15:50+00:00

October 16, 2023, Durham, NC – Social capital, which is defined as the connections, relationships, and resources available to individuals, plays an instrumental part in college students’ academic and career success. By developing skills to locate and develop relationships with potential mentors around them, such as teachers, school staff, and employers, students may feel encouraged to stay enrolled in college classes and engaged in their academics. The process of learning and practicing skills to build social capital can begin before students even enroll in college; however, these lifelong skills are rarely taught. iRT President Dr. Janis Kupersmidt with Drs. Sarah Schwartz [...]

Teaching High School Students to Build Networks of Support with the Connected Scholars Program2023-10-16T13:15:50+00:00

iRT Awarded Grant to Identify Characteristics of Effective Mentors of Children of Incarcerated Parents

2023-10-10T20:04:14+00:00

October 10, 2023, Durham, NC – iRT is pleased to announce that it has received a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to explore the characteristics of effective mentors who are mentoring children of incarcerated parents (COIP). Recent reports have shown that over 2.6 million youth have an incarcerated caregiver in the United States.1 COIP often face family instability, stigmatization, and stress that may put them at risk for negative developmental outcomes. For example, research has shown that COIP may be at an increased risk for substance use in late childhood and early adolescence, including alcohol, cannabis, and [...]

iRT Awarded Grant to Identify Characteristics of Effective Mentors of Children of Incarcerated Parents2023-10-10T20:04:14+00:00

The American Educational Research Journal Publishes the Results of an Evaluation of the Connected Scholars Program

2023-08-24T21:03:28+00:00

August 24, 2023, Durham, NC – The college years are often a time of great change and new responsibilities, and it can be difficult for students to adjust to these new responsibilities without a diverse network of support. The connections, relationships, and resources available to students, called social capital, impact college students’ academic and career success, and it is vital that students have the skills or resources available to them to build their social capital during the college years in order to thrive. Mentoring relationships are a form of social capital and a great source of support for college students. Students [...]

The American Educational Research Journal Publishes the Results of an Evaluation of the Connected Scholars Program2023-08-24T21:03:28+00:00
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