ATHLETE TO ATHLETE

• Championship Auto Racing Team's Mentor Program
  This program has been established by CART to assist up and coming race drivers to connect with experienced champions. The younger drivers are able to shadow their more experienced counterparts at various events and participate in all race activities and preparations made by the more experienced drivers. It is part of the Champ Car Ladder System. Contact.

• Cedar Hill Squash Mentor Program (Victoria, British Columbia)
  Experienced squash players make a commitment to volunteer to mentor a less-experienced player, typically new to the Cedar Hill Squash Club, one of the top squash clubs in Canada. Each mentor works with a partner player one or two meetings per month. The club professional takes responsibility for matching mentors with other players. Contact Information.

• Beacon Hill Bicycle Mentors Group (Victoria, British Columbia)
  Every Sunday in the City of Victoria at famous Beacon Hill Park, this group of experienced cyclists meets with novice and younger cyclists who want to learn everything from proper saddle adjustments and cadence to bike mechanics and road skills. Contact: (250) 480-7285.

• United States Sports Academy (Daphne, Alabama)
  After completing core courses at the Academy students enrolled in a Master of Sports Science program must complete 400 contact hours of field experience with mentoring field site. Sites include various professional sports teams, wellness centers, hospitals, universities, and other outdoor or recreation agencies. Guidelines are provided in a handbook and details are provided on the Academy website. Contact Information.

• Balloon Federation of America (indianola, Indiana)
  Through their Junior Balloonist program, this organization provides experienced balloonists as mentors to less experienced members to improve safety, increase enjoyment, and improve skill levels. Contact Information.

LEAGUES

• Canadian Football League
  The league was actively involved in the Stay in School Initiative sponsored by the federal government. Individual players were active as mentors and as advocates for mentoring. The present status of mentoring within the League is uncertain. Contact Information.

BUSINESSES PROVIDING MENTORS FOR YOUTH

• Winning Futures(Warren, Michigan)
  Founded in 1994 by Sam Cupp, a highly successful entrepreneur, Winning Futures' mission is to be an award-winning organization that inspires and prepares young people to succeed through life skills programs and mentoring relationships that focus on character values identification, goal setting, and strategic planning. The curriculum serves grade three through grade 12 youth, and includes mentor training manuals and partner workbooks. Each mentor is matched with two to three students who they encourage and support throughout the school year. Students complete a profile sheet prior to the start of the program, and the profile sheets, teacher recommendations, and the mentor's application and interview are used to make matches. The mentor's and partner's personal life experiences, career interests, personalities, and hobbies are assessed to determine appropriate matching. All potential mentors participate in an orientation where they learn basic information about Winning Futures. After this orientation, potential mentors choose if Winning Futures is the right mentoring program for them. If not, Winning Futures helps refer them to a mentoring program that is a better fit. Once a person has committed to mentoring and passed all background checks, mentors attend a three-hour training. At each program site, a lead facilitator manages 20 one-hour mentoring sessions throughout the school year. The facilitator recruits, supports, and encourages mentors, maintains positive relationships with the school, and provides support to students. The facilitator partners with the teachers, school administrators, and parents to ensure program success and build a solid foundation for future years.

  Each week, mentors and students meet in a large classroom with the facilitator for one-hour. Each mentoring team (one mentor matched with three students) sits at their own table to create privacy. At each session, based on Winning Futures' workbook and training manual, the facilitator presents a five-minute lesson on the topic of the day. Using Winning Futures' workbook and supplemental activities, mentors lead all activities with their student partners which include group discussions, hands-on activities, written exercises, and student presentations.

  Examples of mentoring topics encompassed in Winning Futures' workbook and being presented at programs include: assessing personal strengths and weaknesses, developing a strong personal network, making decisions based on personal values, overcoming future obstacles, and creating a five-year vision and goal.

  In 2005, over 200 past participants in the program were surveyed. At least 90% of these adults, now in the workforce and college, stated they continue to set goals, understand their values, work better with others, have a positive attitude, and are more self-reliant and successful because of the skills taught in this program. Many students were not college bound when they entered the program, but 90% reported that they pursued and/or completed education past high school. The 2007-2008 school year review showed that over 80% of student participants stated they have a more positive view of life now. Because of their relationships and experience with mentoring, students also stated they feel more confident and capable of achievement than before. Socially, students learned to reach out to one another and 89% stated that they made new friends while in Winning Futures Using Winning Futures’ workbook, the combination of organized structure which teaches essential life skills while also providing a mentor for students to talk to, confide in, and learn from is successful and enjoyable for students. In fact, 100% of students stated they will recommend Winning Futures to their friends. (Winning Futures' curriculum, student workbooks and mentor handbooks are available for purchase. The student workbook which provides hands-on, critical thinking, planning, and goal-setting activities professionally designed to build students' life skills and confidence is $10.00. The Mentor training manual which includes activity support, suggestions, modifications, and professional evaluation materials is $50.00. Purchase includes additional mentor training templates, support materials, or professionally developed evaluation tools. Contact Information.

• Mentor Marketplace (Canberra, Australia)
  The Australian government provides funding for a number of youth (aged 12-25) mentoring initiatives through their Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. The Marketplace is intended to develop a mentoring culture in schools, business and communities that will result in the engagement of business and community sectors of the Australian society to provide self-sustaining mentoring activities for youth. A wide-range of projects have been funded and details are listed on their website. Contact Information.
• Mastercard International (St. Louis, Missouri)
  In conjunction with the International Telementor Program, Mastercard provides adult mentors from their organization to work with students in a program that combines telecommunication and personal visits. Since 2001 more than 150 Mastercard volunteers have acted as mentors to over 225 students. The classroom teachers of each student are actively involved in identifying projects that both the students, teachers, and mentors are eager to work on. Preliminary evaluations have shown considerable success for all involved, including corporate culture at Mastercard. Contact Information.

• IBM MentorPlace (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, England, Germany, Mexico, Peru, Scotland, Spain, and the United States)
  Volunteer employees at IBM act as one-to-one e-mentors to students and provide academic assistance, career counseling, and caring support. In addition this program provides technical advice and assistance to teachers. A unique element of this program is that rather than working with selected students, the program provides mentoring for all students within a classroom. While access to technology is important, mentors and students receive training (materials available online), communicate online at least once a week, meet in person as part of a "kick-off" celebration. Under certain circumstance IBM will donate computer equipment to a school for this program. Contact.

• ACE Mentor Program
  The ACE Mentor Program serves high school youth who are exploring careers in architecture, construction, or engineering. The mentors are professionals from leading design and construction firms who volunteer their time and energy. The program also provides scholarships for youth. They use a multidisciplinary team-mentoring model where up to 25 students and 10 mentors from four or five firms meet after school, biweekly, for two hours. Teams work on planning, design and scheduling either a real or a ``virtual'' construction project. Chapters of this organization are spreading across the US. Contact Information.

• Career Academy Mentoring Program (Columbus, Ohio)
  Partnering with the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, the Columbus Public Schools have created a Career Academy in each of several secondary schools. As of 2003 approximately 2000 students have enrolled in academy programs which combine a college prep curriculum with practical experience in career fields. Each student is assigned a mentor who must pass a background check, complete a three-hour training and agree to meet a minimum number of times with their student partner at both the school and the workplace. The emphasis of the interaction between students and their mentors is on career development and academic achievement. For students to qualify to have a mentor they must have passing grades in math, science and English. Contact Information.

• YWCA Mentorship Program (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  This program partners young women from local secondary schools with professional women who act as female role models and who offer support and guidance regarding education and future career chocies to their mentees. Students apply to the program in September of each year, and mentor recruitment and training runs from September to November. Matches meet once a month from January to May. Contact Information.

• North Kitsap High School Success Mentoring Program (Poulsbo, Washington) - This mentoring program has been established as a prevention program and volunteer mentors, typically from businesses in the community, are asked to make a three-year commitment to the program. Every student in the school is assigned a mentor, which enables 175 mentors to work with 1400 students. Some groups have two adult mentors and sophomore students may have senior students as mentors. Students typically meet at least once a month with their mentors. Contact.

• Let's Do Lunch Mentoring Program (Springfield, Vermont)
  This program brings business professionals into the schools to have lunch with their assigned partners. The meetings all take place on campus during lunch and pairs eat lunch, chat, play cards or chess, read, shoot hoops, or spend time on the playground together. Some of the partnerships have been meeting for five years (the program is K-12). The Three River Valley Regional Business/Education Partnership recruits and trains the mentors. Permission forms for the students, supervision and matching are handled by the guidance departments of the schools. Contact.

• Grafton Village Elementary School Breakfast Buddy Program (Fredericksburg, Virginia)- This school pairs volunteer adults who are business and community leaders with students who have been recommended by teachers to eat breakfast with the student at least twice a month. The meals take place in the school cafeteria. Contact.

• Dallas Early Childhood Resource Institute (Grand Praire, Texas)
  This organization provides community-based youth mentoring, case management, parent education, advocacy and ' resource coordination of comprehensive family services. Their cornerstone program is called "Single Moms Can"(SMC), which is a year round mentoring program for pregnant and parenting adolescent moms between 13 and 23. Mentors volunteer through Internet services and word of mouth. An orientation is held to explain the program and a commitment is made to become a part of the program. Each mentor completes an information packet and a one on one interview. An interest form is also included. The mentor and partner introduction is held on a Sunday afternoon, and the match is made on the following Monday. Matching happens once every three months. All mentors must attend ongoing training, which includes a four-hour program over view and 10 two-hour training sessions. The program has touched the lives of over 400 young moms and their children and a comprehensive evaluation is underway. Contact Information.

• Be a Mentor Program(Fremont, California)
  This non-profit organization has created several mentoring programs and all mentors must pass a rigorous screening and commit to a one-year mentoring connection. Here are some descriptions of their programs:
  • A teen pregnancy prevention program where mentors are matched with students who are freshman and sophomores, and typically come from low income, single parent homes or being raised by adults other than their parents. Mentors constantly give that needed "I believe in you" that makes the difference between giving up and trying. Students with mentors are less likely to become pregnant, because it gets in the way of the plans for the future.
  • Teach Me to Read. ESL (English as a Second Language) students who are far behind their class level and need the extra time and support of a mentor to teach them the skills they have missed. Mentors make learning fun as they share how they got over the problems they had learning in school. Mentors often bring in books that group reads together and then they discuss the book. (Reading comprehension without even knowing they are being taught that skill). Mentors are constantly reassuring the students that they arenÕt "dumb"; they just havenÕt learned the tools yet. Much of the anger in the studentÕs dissipates after they have experienced some success.
  • Gang and Violence Prevention. Students who have been expelled from their mainstream schools due to violence, drug use or gang activity on campus are connected with mentors to help them express angry feelings in an appropriate way and learn that they can succeed in school. The mentoring program has two components: 1) group mentoring once a week for an hour. Different topics are presented and discussed or there is an activity that reinforces the message. Once a month the program is a game of basketball or volleyball to show the students that itÕs possible to have fun without drugs, sex or violence. 2) Students are matched with mentors 1:1 and spend 4 to 6 hours per month together doing fun things as well as homework, goal setting, and improving social skills.
  • Mentoring Foster Care Youth. These children have been neglected, abused, or abandoned by their parents. They are living in group homes so they can receive the help they need to heal emotionally. Mentors spend 4 to 6 hours per month being their friend and role modeling appropriate and healthy adult behavior. Mentors establish a friendship with their child which the beginning for the child to start believing in him/herself again. The goal of the grant is to bring the studentsÕ grades up by improving self-esteem and feeling good about themselves.
  • An Email Mentoring Program where mentors spend thirty minutes a week helping students via email with their school projects and share theirÊwisdom and life experiences.
  Contact.

• Chamber of Commerce (Coquitlam, British Columbia)
  Their Education Committee invites high school students, through the schools' Career Prep classes, to the Chamber's monthly business meetings. A business person is assigned to mentor them through the breakfast meeting, introduce them to people, put them at ease, answer their questions. Four high school students attended October's meeting. Contact Information.

• Pratt & Whitney Canada, Ltd. (Longueuil, Quebec)
  This corporation provides three mentoring programs. One, called Jeunes Entrepreneurs, includes youth in schools across Canada who may be interested in careers in technology. The program started as one-on-one relationship but has evolved to a mentor working with a team of 3 to 4 students from chosen schools. A second mentoring program targets two youth each year who have quit school. The mentor may provide 40-80 hours of contact time with each student. Mentors describe the experience as very rewarding, particularly being able to help young people in trouble.

  No reward or special incentive is provided to the mentors. Such rewards are perceived as potentially in conflict with appropriate motivation to volunteer and be involved with the youth.

  The third mentoring program involves 200 students per year who receive up to 2 hours of coaching per day as well as a written report. This mentoring relationship can last between three weeks and four months.

  Some of the difficulties they experience concern recruiting mentors who often want to know, "What's in it for me?" A second barrier to recruitment has to do with serious cuts to human and financial resources available. They are planning on recruiting more directly from their employees who take their pre-retirement seminars and suggest to them that mentoring may be a way for them to make the transition from career to home! Contact Information.

• Bois-de-Boulogne College (Montreal, Quebec)
  This telementoring program, known as Academos, makes it possible for young people aged 16 to 30, to be in contact with adults who have experience in various sectors of employment. The objective is to facilitate the student's career choice by developing a unique relationship with a mentor. A mentor is classified as a career oriented individual, dedicated and knowledgeable in his/her work who is willing to take the time to share his/her professional experiences. A student's vision of their career path would be clarified by demystifying any false projections they have. The program is open to young Canadian francophones. People interested in having a mentor or wanting to become a mentor can register directly on the program's Web site. (Note: this is an English adaptation of the French program description.) Contact Information.

• Hewlett-Packard (On-Line)
  Hewlett-Packard offers the HP E-mail Mentor Program to grade 5-12 students and teachers with a focus to help students excel in math and science. The mentors are all employees of Hewlett Packard and make arrangements for the mentoring to take place via e-mail. Contact Information.

• General Motors of Canada Ltd. (Oshawa, Ontario)
  GM recently piloted an internal mentoring program, and although they do not provide an intentional mentoring program for youth, many of their employees are actively involved in community youth activities. They have expressed interest in starting an external program. Contact Information.

• Kraft General Foods Canada Inc. (Toronto, Ontario)
  Kraft has a partnership with a school and does some mentoring in a one-to one relationship. Contact Information.

• Imperial Oil Ltd. (Toronto, Ontario)
  This company has established a "take your child to work day," has developed school partnerships and has established an internal mentoring program. Contact Information.

• PPG Canada Inc. (Toronto, Ontario)
  Currently operates an internal mentoring program and employees are involved in a number of community activities. Contact Information.

• Xerox Canada (Toronto, Ontario)
  Xerox has developed an out-of-school learning program for younger students, called Champions. The program focuses on the development of computer skills and is offered on Saturdays only. More than 160 children come to participate. The program is a partnership between Xerox, the North York Board of Education and the Toronto Raptors Basketball organization. Partners donate software, computers, and sweat equity. Contact Information.

• Fording Coal Ltd. (Calgary, Alberta)
  A formal partnership with a high-needs school has led to informal one-on-one mentoring relationships. In addition to regular partnership group activities, the school has occasionally asked for individual volunteers interested in developing one-to-one relationships with a child and/or family in need of mentoring. The company connects interested people with the school but does not screen, train or monitor the relationships.

  The partnership program (and mentoring) has been in existence for about two years. About 20 families and 5 or 6 individual (high needs) children (grade 7-9) have been mentored to date. The primary goal of their mentoring effort is to help students focus on future careers and a healthy place in the social environment.

  The school involved has indicated that mentoring is successful. The program would like to increase the training and education for volunteers. Also, more time would be needed for employees to do all that is expected of them. Mentors report that it is hard to fit everything in when they work full-time. Contact Information.

• General Electric Canada Inc. (Mississauga, Ontario)
  GE has an international volunteer society called ELFUN (Electrical Fund). Their local chapter is doing work in schools with the deaf and inner city youth. Some one-on-one mentoring occurs and mentors go to children's homes to help with computer skills. The US-based component of this company sponsors formal mentoring program for inner city children. Contact Information.

• MTS Net (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
  MTS began a mentorship program five years ago, but the program was put on hold last year due to company restructuring. The program is a partnership between MTS employees and students at a local alternative school. MTS holds information sessions for employees to alert them to the needs of the students at the alternative school. Contact Information.

• Job Mentor Program (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
  The Job Mentor Program is a school-to-work club that operates at eleven high schools. The program helps students bridge the gap between school and work by providing them with worksite mentors Contact Information..

• Adopt-A-School (Austin, Texas)
  The Austin Independent School District has a program in which local businesses "adopt" a school and provide mentoring, tutoring, and volunteers for the adopted school. Contact Information.

• California Mentorship Program Directory
  A list by county of all current adult to youth mentoring programs in the state of California. No specific details about individual programs are provided, but contact information for each organization is included. Access Directory.

• Mentoring Opportunities Recognizing Excellence-MORE (Fremont County, Colorado)
  A rural community where extreme economic deprivation and family management problems are major concerns has established a community-wide mentoring program to address these concerns. A team of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (AMCCC) members has been brought into the community to work with elementary and high school students. AMCCC members set up the mentoring project and then recruit members from the community to replace and sustain their initial work. Contact Information.

• Floaters.org Cooperative Mentoring Program (Mesa, Arizona)
  The service is an ongoing participatory research project in which low/no/unstable income families help integrate technology into their neighborhoods via peer mentoring and grassroots networks. Contact Information.

• Managment Leadership for Tomorrow (New York, New York)
  This is a non-profit organization committed to helping students of color across the US plan their careers in business during their early years in college. The program provides mentors to help students increase their eligibility for MBA programs, learn tips about how to excel on admission tests, and how to find financial resources. Contact Information.

• The Entrepreneurial Development Institute (Washington, D.C.)
  TEDI provides an experiential learning environment for youth through after-school and evening classes and workshops. It seeks to educate and equip participants and their families with the necessary skills and resources to become full stakeholders in the economic and social revitalization of their communities. Youth are paired with mentors who are successful business owners. Since 1991, over 1,500 youth in the Washington, D.C. area have participated in TEDI programs. These youth have developed over 75 business plans which have created over 600 jobs. The Washington branch office and TEDI's four other branch offices across the country are together expected to serve approximately 3,000 youth and their families over the next year. Contact Information.

• Fannie Mae (Washington, DC)
  Fanniemae has at least two types of mentoring programs. Experienced business organizations are paired with less experienced organizations to provide expert assistance to improve standards or the ability to provide services to Fannie Mae, particularly minority and women-owned lenders. They also have a corporate mentor program which is a formal and structured program designed to establish mentoring as a core value of Fannie Mae. The program consists of several components designed to provide employees with tools to build and maintain relationships and to enhance personal and professional growth. In addition, the company encourages employee involvement in community service by helping them find meaningful volunteer opportunities, granting ten hours of paid leave per month for volunteer work, supporting those employees who participate in volunteer activities, and recognizing employees for their accomplishments as volunteers. This program is managed by the Fannie Mae Foundation, which is an entity separate from but fully funded by the corporation, and is the volunteer program for both corporate and Foundation employees. The We Are Volunteer Employees (WAVE) program has five components: a one-on-one volunteer matching service; team-building activities, in which the Fannie Mae Foundation works with specific Fannie Mae business units or Foundation departments to create opportunities for their teams to participate in volunteer service projects; employee volunteer recognition, which consists of corporate awards granted to those employees who have demonstrated a particularly high commitment to volunteer service; Dollars for Doers, which matches the hours employees volunteer with grants from the Fannie Mae Foundation to the agencies where they volunteer; and employee steering committees for group projects. Contact Information.

• GlaxoSmithKline (Research Triangle Park, North Carolina)
  This pharmaceutical research company is committed to fostering such diversity in its workplace and the community and has formed a foundation to support community educational and health interests. The Women in Science Scholars Program matches women from 24 area schools in unique internships and mentoring experiences at GlaxoSmithKline. Students work closely with GlaxoSmithKline mentors and these women scientists provide support and insight on issues such as working in the industry and applying to graduate school. Mentors also benefit from the arrangement. Contact Information.

• Georgia Power (Atlanta, Georgia)
  Provides a mentoring program for youth in the schools around Atlanta. The program is supplemented by a website to help students learn about the world of electricity, help teachers develop curriculum, and help parents find ways to improve child learning. Contact Information.

• Eaton Corporation (Cleveland, Ohio)
  Now in its sixth year, the Eaton Minority Engineering Scholars Program (EMESP) pairs undergrads pursuing BS degrees in electrical, mechanical, industrial or environmental engineering or computer science with senior technical people who guide them through the summer season and keep in touch during the school year as well. Contact Information.

• Corning, Inc (Corning, New York)
  Summer interns work on projects based on their course work and interests and they are matched with mentors provided by two of Corning's active employee groups: the Society of Black Professionals and the Advancing Minorities Improvement Team. When the interns return to school, the mentors continue their connection through e-mail, personal messages and other support activities. Contact Information.

• Monsanto Company (St. Louis, Missouri)
  A cooperative arrangement with Howard University provides mentors to help African American students complete their doctoral work in chemical engineering. Monsanto provides mentors to the Howard students during a summer internship program and the mentors maintain relationships when the students return to school. The connection has paid off for Howard University as well increasing their retention rate by more than 300 percent. Contact Information.

• University of East London (London, England)
  A mentor program that addresses the barriers facing ethnic minority graduates in finding employment run by the National Mentoring Consortium. The aims and objectives of the mentor scheme are to: 1. support undergraduates through their studies, 2. encourage and prepare them to apply for graduate management training schemes, 3. increase their awareness of the different types of career and the preparation needed to apply, 4. provide role models who will encourage them to maximize their potential, 5. supply customized personal development training, and 6. help employers to recruit high-caliber graduates. Contact Information.

• Molly Stark School (Bennington, Vermont)
  This school provides two mentoring programs as part of a range of health- and family-related services that benefit the community, parents, and students. One program, PALS, similar to a Big Brothers Big Sisters program pairs local high school students who receive community service credit with students from Molly Stark and they spend quality time together outside of school hours. The second program involves employees from local businesses who spend one hour per week with a student. Contact Information.

SENIOR CITIZENS MENTORING YOUTH

• Family Service Agency (San Francisco, California)
  Runs a foster grandparent program which matches seniors with youth. Contact Information.

• Angelus Plaza Senior Mentor and Community Program (Long Beach, California)
  The Angelus Plaza Senior Mentor and Community Program is the result of a collaborative effort with the Los Angeles Unified School District and pairs seniors with at risk youth, helping the students to complete their high school education in a safe, secure, nurturing environment. Since its inception in 1990, the mentoring program has benefited more than 1,000 participants, including seniors, teens and their families, business owners (through student internships) and community groups.

  The senior mentors are an integral part of the students' high school experience. The Activity Center helps to recruit the senior mentors, from both Angelus Plaza and the surrounding community. The prospective mentors are interviewed and screened by the principal, who looks for seniors to serve as friends, advocates and role models. Mentors are required to make a two-year commitment to the program, consisting of monthly one-hour student interactions plus an additional monthly contact in person or by phone. The mentors are also required to participate in ongoing monthly orientation, training and evaluation with the school's principal, and attend special group events held four to six times per year. A school psychologist meets with the mentors regularly to provide training, as well as a forum for questions or problems that arise among the mentors and the students. Contact Information.

RETIRED EXECUTIVES MENTORING BUSINESS EXECUTIVES

• Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) (Delray Beach, Florida)
  A volunteer network of retired executives provides mentoring at no cost to people in business throughout the US. The program is funded by the US Small Business Administration and is located in major cities across the US. Some well-known, highly experienced executives are part of this network. Contact Information.

COMMUNITY AND YOUTH

• Communities in Schools in Renton(Renton, Washington)
  CISR is part of the national nonprofit organization "Communities In Schools" which works nationwide to assist at risk students, to help them stay in school. CISR has been serving the Renton Community since 1994, partnering with the Renton School District and the City of Renton to serve at risk children. These collaborative efforts have established two direct service programs - The Mentor Program and the Family Liaison Program - both work to bring balance to the lives of public school students by addressing basic needs and self-esteem, allowing at-risk students to focus on achieving success academically and personally. Since 1995, CISR has been matching, training and supporting adult volunteers from the community to build a special friendship to a child in need. Before they begin working as mentors, CISR volunteers are provided with training from the CISR Mentor Program Manager, along with on-site and reference resources. The program provide an annual field trip for the mentors and their mentees. In 2009 they had over 300 children and their mentors and staff attend a picnic held at the local community center free of charge. All items for this event - food, entertainment, gifts were donated. Contact Information.

• Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance(Sonoma, California)
  This group created the Stand-by-Me Mentoring Program that for the last 12 years has served at-risk kids in grades K-12. Children are matched with mentors based on academic and social needs as well as mutual interests. Staff professionals observe weekly mentor/mentee interactions, and both child and mentor are interviewed on the progress of the relationship, and obtain feedback from relatives and school professionals. At present 99% of their mentors believe that they were appropriately matched with their partner. Contact Information.

• Mentoring a Girl in Construction (MAGIC)
  This national program was developed by The National Association of Women in Construction. The program is delivered in summer camps around the USA and provides information and hands-on experience in a wide range of construction-related fields taught by local women employed in the construction industry. Participants gain knowledge and practice in areas such as carpentry, electricity, plumbing, drywall, and masonry, and will build a small-frame house on the campus. The camp also hosts a panel of women employed in various construction-related careers. The MAGIC Camp experience is free to the registered students thanks to donations of the local construction industry. The National Association of Women in Construction was founded in Texas in 1953 with just 15 members. Now the nonprofit international organization has more than 5,500 members and is affiliated with groups in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. More than 1 million American women are working in the construction industry, and MAGIC has been established in eight major cities, including San Diego, New Orleans and Detroit. Contact Information.

• Green Streets Master Gardener Mentoring Program (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  Volunteer street gardeners (people who are willing to landscape and garden traffic circles, corner bulges, boulevards and other public areas in neighbourhoods) and opportunity to work with a certified Master Gardener. Contact Information.

• Summer Search (San Francisco, California)
  A national leadership development program where staff mentors are paired with low-income students to help them graduate high school, go to college, find meaningful careers, and give back to society. While started in San Francisco, project offices in seven cities in the USA, and the mentoring program is funded through donations of project partners. Students are selected through interviews that focus on resiliency, altruism, and performance. Students meet weekly with their mentors, participate in two summer-based experiential education programs, and receive college advisory service throughout high school, as well as alumni support will in college and beyond. To date 100% of Summer Search seniors graduate from high school; 97% go on to college; 72% engage in service to their communities. Contact Information.

• Learning Mentors (United Kingdom)
  Learning Mentors are paid to work with school and college students to reduce barriers to learning, including academic, social, emotional, and organizational difficulties. The Learning Mentors typically devote about 37 hours per week with the majority of their hours devoted to working with various students on a one-on-one basis. The mentors receive a national accredited core training and mentor specific training as well as locally developed training on topics such as learning styles, anger management, bullying and other topics. Salaries for the mentors range from £14,000 to £24,000. Mentors are recruited from a variety of backgrounds and ages and must pass a criminal records check. At present there are an estimated 14,000 learning mentors working in primary and secondary schools throughout the UK, but mostly in urban areas of social deprivation and lower educational achievement. Studies have shown that the Learning Mentors have had a beneficial impact on the behaviour of students especially their ability to learn and make progress. Contact Information.
• 21st Century Mentors Foundation (Richmond, California)
  Founded in 2007, this organization provides mentoring programs for youth, raises funds to help youth attend college, and provides structured mentor training for youth to become future mentors. Their focus is no providing positive role models to help young people achieve not just better grades or resist drug use, but also to help youth develop socially. A unique element of this organization is that one of their executive members, Sammie Lee Hill created the first and only international mentor theme song (words and music are on the Foundation website.) Contact Information.

• KidStart Mentoring Program (Vancouver, Campbell River, Victoria, British Columbia)
  Youth and children are paired with adult volunteers (19 and over) and meet on a weekly basis for three plus hours. The focus of mentoring is a supportive relationship, positive role model, and engagement in recreational activities. Mentors are screened and interviewed, provide references and a police record check. They receive CPR and first aid training in addition to ongoing training and supervision. Contact Information.

• ACE Mentor Program of America, Inc. (Stamford, Connecticut)
  connects architects, construction managers and engineers with high school students to learn about career opportunities in architecture, construction and engineering and related areas of the design and construction industry. They also provide scholarship opportunities for students in an inclusive manner reflective of the diverse school population. Contact Information.

• Metropolitan Family Services Youth Mentoring Program (Wheaton, Illinois)
  This organization helps children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors. The adult volunteers and children are both interviewed about their interests. Children and mentors are matched together based on similar interests and personalities. A background check is given to the adult volunteers for safety reasons and then an in-person interview is conducted. No training is necessary, although there are opportunities available. Matches have been very successful. Children stay with their matches as a one-year commitment, but most of them stay together for a number of years. Children stay connected up until the age of 18, many adult mentors watch their child graduate high school. The children and adults meet at a specific location and time depending on where they live. The sessions are supervised by staff and are an hour-and-a-half long. The mentors and children meet every other week. They can play games, create arts and crafts, do homework, or just hang out and talk. There is usually an outside event that takes place about once a month on a Saturday or Sunday. There are no fees. Contact Information.

• <Kids 'n Kinship (Apple Valley, Minnesota)
  This organization provides in-school and friendship-based adult to child mentoring for children aged 5-16. Mentors are screened by background checks, interviews, and orientiation and, if selected, also receive training. They are expected to meet with their child partners one-to-four hours per week for a one-year period. Staff provide on-going support and consultation. Contact Information.

• Mentors Plus (Placerville, California)
  A mentoring program of the non-profit Family Connections El Dorado with the overall goal of strengthening families and enriching communities. They operate for no charge at three middle schools servicing around 100 youth (mostly at-risk) per year. Each school has a full time site coordinator on campus who runs youth development-based skill-building groups, oversees the mentor matches and is a liaison with the school. At each school Mentors Plus youth leave an elective class once per week and attend group. Groups are designed to promote safety, good relationships, youth participation, community involvement and skill building. They also recruit community volunteers who help out as one-to-one mentors. Mentors meet their partners during school hours at the school for 45 minutes per week. Mentors can and do meet with their mentees off campus if they choose. Adult volunteer "mentors" are matched with 11-13 year old youth enrolled in the program by the site coordinator at each school. The site coordinator knows all youth intimately because of group. Once a mentor is ready, the site coordinator sets up a matching interview to get to know each volunteer, their available times and listen to each person's desires. The site coordinator will then make a successful match and attend the first meeting between the mentor and partner. The matching interview takes place at school and last around one hour. Each adult volunteer receives about one-hour of training from the mentor coordinator. Training is informal and takes place at the volunteer's home, a coffee shop or some other comfortable location. The site coordinators recruit youth, plan and facilitate group, organize school-related details, plan field trips, community service events and summer activities, avail themselves to youth participants at all times, and match and care for the volunteer mentors. The three site coordinators are supported by a program director and a mentor coordinator. Ninety-nine percent of the 6th and 8th grade youth who enroll in the program stay with it until they graduate from grade eight. Mentor-match retention is very high with 97% of matches are for 9 months or longer and 74% are for twelve months or longer. Contact Information.

• Pasos Hacia el Futuro (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  This program matches students in grades 4-6 with working professionals and medical graduate students who volunteer as mentors to provide youth with positive role models. Contact Information.

• Innovative Children's Services (Lithonia, Georgia)
  This program provides a base for families to form networks, wherein information and support can be shared. "Play Dates" is one such program which helps kids find friends in their neighborhood. Our Family and Peer Match programs and monthly meetings, which are free to all families, are another way to help families connect, exchange ideas and maybe just relax. The Family Match program can be used by families who homeschool, and families who have a child/children with special needs. The Peer and Adult Volunteer program is designed to get children from their own locality and caring adults in lending a hand. Contact Information.

• Safety Net Mentor Program (Salt Lake City, Utah)
  This program recruits and trains adult mentors and matches them with at-risk youth, aged 6-18 for in-person contact. They issue a newsletter and sponsor meetings where mentors and their partners all come together for fun events. They also provide a number of forms online including a mentor application form, a mentor/partner contract, a matching preferences form, and a parent permission form in either English or Spanish. Contact Information.

• Tomorrow's Leaders Club (Covina, California)
  This organization is a state approved Supplemental Educational Service Provider that delivers free, after-school tutoring services to qualifying students in several school districts. Their program model calls for a 30-min. one-on-one session, 30-min. small group instruction and 30-min. homework support. Their mentors specifically work with one student during the one-on-one session and assist the teacher and paraprofessionals in other sessions. Their primary goal is to help under-performing students catch up and succeed one student at a time. Upon completion of mentor orientation and training, mentors are matched students. Each school site (Academy) is staffed with one Site Coordinator who oversees all activities of the Academy with a minimum of two teachers and three paraprofessionals. Each Academy enrolls anywhere from 70-100 students and works in three groups, of which they each rotate to go through all 3 sessions (one-on-one, small group and homework support). The Club provides a 15-minute snack time at the beginning of the session. There is no charge for students. Contact Information.

• Youth Advocacy Services (Richmond, Virginia)
  YAS, founded in 2001 by evangelist Shay Dennis, provides mentoring, counseling, parent aide, and shelter services. Mentors are recruited by self-selection, interviews, and referrals from various other human service agencies. Training from the owner is provided by the owner. There are fees. At this time, because the population of children receiving services is small, services are rendered for as little as 25 dollars per month; no cost services are offerred at the discretion of the owner. Contact Information.

• Roots and Shoots Garden Mentor Program (Qualicum Beach, British Columbia)
  The Roots and Shoots program created by Malaspina University College is dedicated to educating and inspiring students in the art and science of horticulture. They have created an intergenerational gardening program which pairs elementary students with garden mentors. Throughout the school year garden mentors guide students through weekly lesson plans which allow the children and mentors to "get their hands dirty." Students and mentors meet once a week for 1.5-2 hours at Milner Gardens and Woodland's Food Garden over a full school year. Contact Information.

• Riverdale High School (Riverdale, Georgia)
  This program was started in 2004 to provide integrity and pride for students. Their focus is to provide mentors to help students learn about everyday living and inspire students to make a difference. Contact Information.

• Youth Assisting Youth (Toronto, Ontario)
  A community-based program that matches youth volunteers, aged 16-29 in a one-to-one relationship with at risk children aged 6-15. Since 1976, YAY's unique service has served over 10,000 children and youth. The success rate of the program is 98 percent (only 2 percent of past clients come into conflict with the law again). YAY was named the 2001 Winner of the Ruth Atkinson Hindmarsh Award for a charitable organization that makes the greatest difference in life prospects of children at-risk.

  A study done in cooperation with the Ontario Probation and Community Services concluded, "Youth Assisting Youth has been cost-effective in keeping children out of the criminal justice system." The estimated cost of retaining a juvenile in the justice system for a year is between $119,000 and $135,00. The cost of maintaining a YAY Peer Mentoring match for a year is $1,600. There is no fee to participate in YAY programs.

  Children are referred to YAY from community resources such as schools, social workers, doctors, community groups and child protection agencies. A home assessment is completed for each referral received to determine the needs of the child and family in order to find an appropriate volunteer. Youth volunteers are recruited from high schools, colleges, universities, churches and the work place. After an initial application, orientation and training sessions are held. An in-depth interview by a Match Coordinator, followed by thorough reference and police checks complete the application process. Matches are made according to common interests, needs and geographic location. When a suitable volunteer is found for a child, arrangements are made for the child, family and volunteer to meet. The match continues with monthly supervision by Coordinators and the Parent Support Worker. Consultations with other agencies and professionals are arranged when necessary.

  The program provides on-going support for the volunteers and the parents of children involved in the program. Through regular contact, the Match Coordinator and the Parent Support Worker help resolve issues that affect the youth/child match. Workshops on issues such as self-esteem, drug awareness, parenting, multiculturalism and child abuse provide important information for volunteers and parents. Contact Information.

• MentorIowa
  Mentor Iowa provides trained mentors to abused and neglected children. Started in 1974 by juvenile court judges, it became a non-profit organization in 1993. Mentors are involved for a minimum of 6 hours every thirty days. Contact is typically in-person or by telephone. Contact.

• Mentoring 2000 (Mentoring UK)
  The aim of Mentoring 2000 is to promote and publicize the use of mentoring with young and adult offenders. They organize and provide conferences, disseminate information, collate and publish best practice ideas, and seek opportunities to work with organizations with similar interests. Contact.

• Youth Justice Board (United Kingdom)
  This organization provides a number of crime prevention programs for youth including a mentoring program that pairs an adult volunteer with a young person at-risk of offending. Contact.

• Chico High Academic Mentoring Program (CHAMP) (Chico, California)
  The mission of CHAMP is to match individual students with responsible, caring adults who will offer support, consistency, and a chance for young people to develop the knowledge and skills needed to reach their full potential. For career mentoring, students write about their desired career goals and are interviewed along with their parents, and then matched based on the profession of the mentor. For literacy mentoring, mentors and students fill out a questionnaire, mentors are interviewed and then they are matched in a meeting with the teacher of these students. For academic mentoring, students and mentors fill out a questionnaire, the mentors are interviewed, and the CHAMP staff does the matching. For the young men and women of color mentoring program, CHAMP does the paperwork and then works with counseling and their university partner to do the matching. For architecture and engineering mentoring, CHAMP does the same paperwork and interview and the works with the drafting teacher on the school campus. A coordinator has two periods of release to oversee the program and the school has two full time Americorp Mentor Ambassadors on staff. Their positions are subsidized by the Volunteer Centers of California. The program has been operating since 1991 and some of the outcomes include increased GPA and attendance, increased graduation rates, increased employment. There are no fees. Contact Information.

• Sanchez Elementary School Online Mentoring Program (Austin, Texas)
  A project that connects volunteers with elementary students through the Internet. Several agencies and organizations associated with virtual volunteering came together to provide materials, resources and guidelines to create and maintain this example of best practice online mentoring. Contact Information.

• Volunteer Grandparents Society of Canada (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  In 1996 VGPS developed a mentoring program for elementary schools. The goal of the program is to match seniors for support with children. Each participating school has up to five seniors who will meet with five teachers to outline needs and expectations. The goals of the match are to create a feeling of self-worth and personal competence, provide positive role models and bridges to Canadian values and culture, and provide volunteers with the opportunity to share time and skills with children. Mentors are volunteers who are over 50 and are willing to engage in istening, talking, crafts, reading, and special events. Mentoring typically takes place in the classroom, school library, computer room or playground. Each mentor commits 2-3 hours one day a week during the school year as arranged with the classroom teacher. Contact Information.

• Family and Childrens Association (Hempstead, New York)
  This program recruits volunteers from the community who then mentor and tutor grade school students to bring them up to grade level and help them have a better self-image. The volunteers also help the children develop short and long term goals. Volunteers meet with their partners three times a week after school until 5:00 p.m. There is no fee and any child can attend. Contact Information.

• Successful Mothers Support Program (North Battleford, Saskatchewan)
  The goal of this program is to provide knowledge, parenting skill, and encouragement to help pregnant youth or parents of 0-3 year olds. Volunteer mentors who are experienced parents or have the ability to help young people learn self-caring and child caring are recruited from the community and receive training and orientation prior to being paired with a young parent. Mentors typically meet one-on-one three to four times per month for a one-year period. Contact Information.

• Episcopal Community Services WAY Program (San Diego, California)
  This is a no-fee job readiness program that provides services to wards of the court and foster youth. In addition to job training, they also provide mentors and tutors to their particapants. Their goal is to assist in the self-sufficiency of youth and help them become successful adults. Contact Information.

• The Wired Woman Society (Vancouver, British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Toronto, Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario)
  Through Mentorship Circle Programs, this organization matches members with career mentors focusing on leadership and professional development. A unique aspect of this organization is that it encourages mentors to work with each other. Most mentoring takes place in small groups led by a Mentor Circle Facilitator and members typically meet twice a month. There is no fee involved, but participants are expected to join the Wired Woman Society. Visit their website to obtain information about Chapters in areas across Canada. Contact Information.

• Webgrrls (Toronto, Ontario)
  Webgrrl volunteers provide mentoring programs and learning opportunities for women and young girls in the Toronto-area community. They have more than 600 participants and focus on women working in or studying digital media who help each other out on a daily basis with advice, support and technical expertise. Mentors and partners often change roles since the field is changing so rapidly and the the emphasis of the mentoring is on learning. A unique part of the service is a Mother-Daughter Internet Clinic where women and girls of all ages about Internet basics with an emphasis on showing young girls in the community what opportunities are available to them in the IT industry. Contact Information.

• Women in Motion (Toronto, Ontario)
  This organization has created and maintains three mentoring programs for women and girls. Opportunities Unlimited pairs mentors with females (16-29) who are at-risk. The goal is to assist the girls and women to return to school or gain employment. Mentors and partners attend events where interactive workshops bring them together to explore personal success topics. They maintain their mentoring partnerships between sessions through email. LinkIT is a mentoring program that emphasizes career transition into the information technology industry. Step UP and Lead! is a leadership focused program for high school girls. Outcomes vary from program to program, and as of November, 2001 the three programs have resulted in over 200 pairings. Contact Information.

• Check & Connect (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
  This partnership of university researchers and practitioners has developed a model for promoting student engagement in school. Mentoring (or monitoring as it is called by the researchers) plays a key role in this ongoing project led by the Institute on Community Integration at a major mid-western university in the United States. The project has shown that the Check & Connect model, which is grounded on resiliency research and home-school collaboration has resulted in a decrease in truancy and dropout rates and an increase in school completion. Each monitor (adult mentor) works with a caseload of students and families over at least a two-year period. The model focuses on relationship building, monitoring of progress indicators, timely intervention, commitment, motivation, a five-step problem-solving system, and alignment with school learning activities. Contact Information.

• In School Mentoring Program (Whitecourt, Alberta)
  Twelve community agencies form an interagency committee of youth serving groups and used the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program as a guide to establish an in-school mentoring program. A presentation was made to local business and community members in order to recruit adult mentors. A training manual was created by the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission and each mentor participated in a three-hour training program. Each mentor also received a mentor handbook to use as a reference while mentoring. While the pilot project had as its target the goal of matching five mentors to five students at one school, to date, the project has trained 17 mentors and has facilitated 17 matches in three schools. Program leaders intend to expand the program to include middle schools and surrounding communities. Contact Information.

• Junior Achievement (Calgary, Alberta)
  Groups of 20 high school students, advised by 4-6 young professional/business volunteers, meet out of school, usually several evening a week for 16 weeks. They plan, develop and implement a business, and at the end close the business. The youths plan and run the business, are not led by the adults, but are advised and helped by them. Program has been very successful, and teaches youth business skills and life skills in the community. Contact Information.

• Alberta Federation of Labour (Edmonton, Alberta)
  Big Brothers & Sisters coordinates this program for the Federation and screens youth and matches them with volunteers from the Federation. Students come into their office once a week, learn about their activities, and work in the office when appropriate. The purpose of this mentoring program is to keep young people in school. Contact Information.

• Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce (Abbotsford, British Columbia)
  Involved in mentoring activities through a program with Junior Achievement. Recently recognized 30 of their members for their volunteer service with youth. Contact Information.

• Comox Valley Youth for Christ (Courtenay, British Columbia)
  This program is called Youth Unlimited and 24-30 teens are recruited as leaders of discussion groups with younger teens (10-15 in a group). They meet once a week, discuss Bible study, and relate their study to their personal lives and any other issues. The teen leaders are trained and mentored by two adults. The goal of the program is to foster teen leadership. Contact Information.

• Junior Achievement of B.C. (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  The Junior Achievement sponsors a program in schools where business people go to classes, present a real case study and students solve a business problem. Some volunteers are involved with individual youth in ongoing contact, primarily in the school setting. Contact Information.

• New Brunswick Association for Community Living (Fredericton, New Brunswick)
  Are currently developing a mentor program to assist disabled youth in the transition from school to work or into the community. Contact Information.

• New Deal Development Ltd. Northside Mentorship Program (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia)
  This program is designed to prevent young people from dropping out of school, family, and community. At risk youth are matched with a compatible young adult or adult in the community who can commit 1-2 hours per week to be with the young person. Contact Information.

• Nova Scotia Association for Community Living (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia)
  This Association provides services for disabled people. They have a program working with teens, able and disabled, whose aim is to educate junior and senior high students to be more accepting of disabled youth. This is a committee of young people with adult support. The teens go into the schools (peer mentoring model) to educate other teens about disabilities. Contact Information.

• Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia)
  The Centre provides a mentoring program for Afro-Canadian youth. Adults from the community work with groups of high school students. Most contact is within the school, but out-of-school contact is encouraged. Goals include providing leadership and positive role models to black youth; increasing options about life choices, career opportunities, and travel; teaching young people about their Afro heritage and culture; and providing mental, spiritual and educational development. The program has been very successful; students have gotten jobs, gone on trips (Jamaica), and increased their pride in their cultural heritage. The program has been going for two years, has involved 100 adults from all walks of life, and about 20 high school students to date. Problems are with timing and time: adults are not easily available during school hours and students are reluctant to meet outside of school. The program is coordinated and facilitated by the Centre, but the students themselves are the leaders and choose the direction of their interactions. The facilitators give them pointers, but students make the decisions about their program. Contact Information.

• YMCA of Greater Toronto Innovations in Mentorship (Toronto, Ontario)
  Supported by funding from Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), the YMCA has created a series of youth internship programs. The YMCA completes screening, matching, and training for both youth and their mentors and the youth engage in work preparation activities prior to being placed in their intern position. Mentors also receive on-going support from the YMCA staff. The YMCA also provides an evaluation of the success of the program.

  In addition the YMCA provides a Black Achievers Mentor program where the emphasis is on providing role models for black youth, ages 12-21, from the Toronto area. The youth receive workshop training in a number of work life areas and are matched with mentors who have made significant contributions to their community from a variety of fields. The mentors receive a number of support services from the YMCA. Contact Information.

• The Organization for Educational Resources and Technology Training (Toronto, Ontario)
  The first ever, after school, non-denominational, multicultural mentoring program in the Toronto area was launched October, 1999. The program will assist job candidates gain the skills they need to win even the most rudimentary entry-level jobs. Toronto ORT formed a partnership with The Bank of Montreal and IBM Canada, and will be working with six local Jewish social service agencies on the new project directed at children from families living below the poverty line. Twenty-four students in grades 6 to 9 will take part in the pilot project. The three components which make this a unique program include a computer for home use; student-mentor matching; and one evening a week, a study skills and computer technology lesson. Contact Information.

• Vaughan Neighbourhood Support Centre (Vaughan, Ontario)
  The Centre recruited a group of adults for the Youth Mentor Program funded by Youth Service Canada. The program is for youths between 18-24 years old. The objective of the program is to provide opportunities for one-to-one mentoring for children between the ages of 8-13. The program has expanded to include children with special needs. The groups of young people do engage in social and life skill activities and work out of four schools in the Vaughan community. Contact Information.

• Community Mentorship Program (Cambridge, Ontario)
  A three-way partnership between local schools, the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce and community mentors. Mentors spend time with a student explaining what his/her company does and works on a project in cooperation with the student. The pairs typically spend one to three hours per week together for up to a year. The goals of the program are to help students stay in school, bring education to the workplace and the workplace to education, help the partner become a productive member of the community, and assist the partner to develop a sense of self-esteem and ability to make choices.

• North York Career Centre (North York, Ontario)
  As part of the activities of the North York School Board, this Centre has created a mentoring program for youth which draws upon the volunteers recruited through the Metro Volunteer Centre. Thirty mentors provide support and assistance to 14 different schools. As a bonus to the mentors they are given the opportunity to attend seminars and other professional development workshops sponsored by the Board. One of these workshops was on how to use the Engage career system to help youth integrate their dreams into concrete career planning. Contact Information.

• B'nai Brith Youth Organization (Thornhill, Ontario)
  They are a youth leadership group, teens in their programs often spend individual time with office staff and directors, mentoring happens in an informal way. Contact Information.

• The Bridge Program (Ajax, Ontario)
  The present objective of this program is to match West Indian students with mentors who are also West Indian in order to help the youth make successful transitions from school to work. As of December, 1997 the program was just starting and had recruited mentors in the areas of Biochemistry, Investment Banking, Retail Banking, High-Technology, Medicine, Education, Law, Fine Arts, Marketing, Accounting, Publishing, and Entrepreneurship. In time the program hopes to cross cultural lines and become a career mentorship service for all students. Contact Information.

• InTELaTech (Mississauga, Ontario)
  This company is a high-tech industry leader that has made a commitment to a "high touch" program. The company has donated $20,000 to a mentorship program that matches community volunteers with students. Once recruited and screened the adult mentors receive training prior to meeting one-on-one with students. Mentors meet with the students at school for one hour a week during the academic year. Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Peel provide the mentoring technical expertise and logistics, the Peel Board of Education supplies the students in need of mentors, and the corporation and the community supply the funds and mentors. The program is an example of a partnership between the corporation and community resources.

  The program which was initiated in 1996, demonstrated its success in only the first two months of operation. Sixty-three per cent of the students participating increased in their self-esteem, 25 per cent showed improved academic performance, and 20 per cent had improved work habits. The company also gained related benefits in that they received the 1997 Small Business of the Year award from the Mississauga Board of Trade and were selected by the Financial Post as one of the Top 50 Best Managed Private Companies in Canada. Contact Information.

• The Niagara Peninsula Industry Education Council (Thorold, Ontario)
  This non-profit organization acts as a catalyst to recruit workers and community members as volunteer mentors and then match them with students from local schools. Their On-Side Mentoring program selects and trains the mentors, and also monitors the progress of the mentorship. In its first two years of operation in 1993-1994, the program generated a pool of 115 volunteer mentors and matched 80 students from 10 different schools with an appropriate mentor.

  The focus of the program is on changing the attitudes of at-risk students towards the world of work. Mentors typically spend about 2-3 hours per week with their proteges. Both the mentors and the students rate the program as highly successful, and data collected by the Council indicates that the school dropout rate was lowered from 26 per cent to 11 per cent. Mentors also benefit from the program and report that they gained an increased understanding of the problems encountered by youth, strengthened their own sense of life purpose, and in some cases actually gained new perspectives. Contact Information.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (Burlington, Ontario)
  This is a child and youth serving organization that provides mentoring programs across the Canada. They provide support to more than 700 Canadian communities and have over 150 local agencies that offer one-to-one matching. Men and women (age 18 or older) give of their time to become a mentor to a youngster who can greatly benefit from having an adult role model to look up to. Big Brother/Big Sister agencies offer a wide variety of mentoring programs.

  In addition, the organization also provides Mentoring Canada, which is made possible through the support of the Muttart Foundation. Its primary focus is to promote and support mentoring initiatives in communities across Canada. All community organizations, corporations and others interested in mentoring are invited to use this website of resources and training materials to further their efforts in support of our young people through the provision of quality mentoring programs. Mentoring Canada's mandate is to provide up-to-date, relevant resources for mentoring organizations, and other service delivery organizations, through an on-line library of downloadable materials and interactive training modules. The site contains an open, searchable database of mentoring specific resources.

• Les Grands Frères et Grands Soeurs de Montréal (Montréal, Québec)
  In partners with the Montréal School Board this organization provides an in-school mentoring program. Contact Information.

• Saskatoon YMCA Mentor Program (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
  This program includes mentor partnerships, parenting sessions for parents of the youth in the mentoring program, training for trainers in mentor programming, mentor skills enhancement sessions, relationship enhancement sessions, and computer assisted learning. The program is coordinated by a full-time leader. In the first year of operation they created 56 mentor partnerships and had 19 mentors still waiting for partners. Mentors meet 2-4 hours per week and typically assist the partners with their homework, using the computer learning facilities at the YMCA. Sometimes the mentor and partner just talk.

  Two innovative features of this program are its connection with the parents of students being mentored, and the ongoing training sessions provided to mentors Parents have an opportunity to attend free seminars offered twice a month on topics such as communication skills and drugs and alcohol. Mentors have a chance to participate in monthly mentor skills enhancement sessions which cover topics such as communication skills, study skills, self-esteem, self-talk, and stress. The program has exceeded its initial goals and has been rated as a positive and fulfilling experience for all who have been involved. Contact Information.

• Take Stock in Children Program
  This is primarily a scholarship program that has raised close to half a million dollars to help children from low income families achieve academic and personal success by providing post-secondary tuition for two years of community college and two years at a Florida university. Students must meet certain criteria and in addition are assigned to meet with a mentor on a weekly basis. Mentors are caring adult volunteers who meet with students once a week at school to offer encouragement, motivation and support, and serve as positive role models for the students. Contact Information.

• Mentor-Assistance Program (Sioux City, South Dakota)
  In partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Siouxland this project intends to provide mentoring for eligible students starting in grade 8 and continuing through grade 12. Students will also be eligible for scholarships in their senior year from the Wiatt Foundation. The goals of this project are to enhance student academic ability and aptitude for post-secondary education, strengthen student career development planning, assist students with personal goal development, increase student awareness of community, and enhance student personal character. Contact Information.

• South Delta Middle School (Anguilla, Mississippi)
  This mentoring program provides students with an opportunity to develop a trusting relationship with local community members to assist students in developing responsibility, character and improving study skills and grades. The program goals are to improve students decision-making, anger managerment and self-esteem enhancement. The community members volunteer or are solicited by school officials. Each volunteer completes an application and interview. Educational resources for the local school are used and services and workshops offered by the state are also used. Contact Information.

• Inverness Center (Baltimore, Maryland)
  An alternative school serving students from five middle-level schools in the southeast area of Baltimore County, Maryland works with students who have been expelled or transferred from their local schools because of behavior problems. When they are enrolled, students are assigned to a case manager, who is responsible for working with them in such cognitive areas as anger management, self-esteem, and conflict resolution, and to a mentor, who helps them develop a daily plan of success. Emphasis is placed on counseling and therapeutic services and on basic skills. The students receive individualized instruction based on their needs, and teachers work together to prepare interdisciplinary lessons. Contact Information.

• Prince George's Hospital Center (Cheverly, Maryland)
  Working with the Washington chapter of Concerned Black Men, the Hospital offers its Shock Mentor program on evenings and weekends. The program allows teens to watch the hospital's trauma teams at work, and it aims to decrease violence among students. Contact Information.

• Warren County High School Mentoring Program (Front Royal, Virginia)
  This school is committed to providing every interested sophomore with an advocate. Advocates are volunteers from the faculty, staff, business community, alumni association and other organizations. Advocates assist participants with building interpersonal skills, monitor academic progress and provide referrals to other services offered by the organization. Training sessions are provided to Advocates on a monthly basis at no cost. Contact Information.

• Prairie Records (Halstad, Minnesota)
  Students are connected with adult mentors working in agricultural businesses (farmers, soil and water conservation districts, and chemical applicators). Contact Information.

• Midtown Educational Foundation (Chicago, Illinois)
  MEF supports a boys-only program (Midtown) and a girls-only program, both of which operate on Chicago's near-West side. The foundation offers a variety of tutoring/mentoring for 477 boys and girls, grade 4 through grade 12. MEF pairs each of its students with successful people, who meet individually with the child at least once a week. These mentors usually volunteer two hours per week. Meets evenings, year-round; weekends during school year. Contact Information.

• Tutor/Mentor Connection (Chicago, Illinois)
  T/MC has been established to support and expand mentoring initiatives throughout the city. The organization creates hands-on learning opportunities for youth such as projects which involve science, math and arts curriculum areas and matches the student participants with mentors from businesses which specialize in those areas. The mentors also try to establish connections with parents in order to help them learn how to support such activities at home and in the community. Contact Information.

• Peoria's Promise Mentoring Program (Peoria, Illinois)
  This program is based on providing five fundamental resources to at-risk youth: a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult; a safe places to learn and grow; a healthy start; marketable skills through education; and an opportunity to give back. PeoriaÕs Promise is a community team recruiting new mentors for existing tutor/mentor programs. They have developed a directory identifying those programs and have a standardized application for becoming a tutor or mentor available online. Contact Information.

• Partners in Education (Dallas, Texas)
  The Dallas Public Schools and the City of Dallas have partnered to allow city employees one hour a week to work one-on-one with students, providing both tutoring in their schoolwork and friendly mentoring. Contact Information.

• Ursuline Academy Online Mentoring (Dallas, Texas)
  This Dallas, Texas Catholic girl's school connects its students with professional women. Originally the professional women were interns who were onsite during a special summer program but the program has expanded to include telementors who are either alums of the school or part of the schools global network of professionals. The expansion was made possible because of an existing in-school advisory program where interested faculty monitored students from all four grade levels. With parent approval, an agreement specifying learning objectives, a brief autobiography and attention to proper Internet procedures any student could gain a connection with a mentor. Once enrolled, students viewed an orientation video and then emailed their mentors. As a way of monitoring the quality of the interactions and preventing difficulties all email is monitored by the student's advisor. The program has yielded a number of positive results and will be expanded to all students in the future. Contact Information.

• Mentoring Initiative of the Teen Outreach Program (MITOP) (Fort Worth, Texas)
  This program is sponsored by the Fort Worth Public Health Department and has as its goal the prevention of teen violence, pregnancies, and substance abuse. The overall goal of the program is to build self-esteem and confidence in teens (11 to 18 years old) to help them set achievable goals and make good decisions. Volunteer mentors from the community meet with their student partner for at least one hour per week for one year. All meetings are held during school hours at the school of the student. Prior to matching all mentors attend at least one training session and undergo screening. Contact Information.

• Austin Independent School District (Austin, Texas)
  Mentors are paired with students who would benefit from additional support. Parental permission is required, and the program is voluntary for the mentor and the student. Each mentor meets with an assigned student for thirty minutes to one hour a week and all meetings are on school grounds. Mentors agree to a background check conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety, submit a letter of recommendation to the mentor contact at the school, and attend a two-hour training session. Contact Information.

• Travis County Juvenile Court Mentoring Program (Austin, Texas)
  A mentoring program for juveniles between the ages of 14 to 16 who have broken the law. The program allows the development of partnerships between individuals, organizations, the court, juveniles and their families. Mentors are responsible adults (18 years of age or older) who are willing to spend time listening and supporting a youth during a six month period. Juveniles nearing completion of a 90-day intensive residential program aimed at helping youth develop socially accepted behavioral skills and new thinking skills are matched with a mentor 30 days prior to their release. The Volunteer Manager and probation officer assigned to the case monitors and supports the match. Contact Information.

• 100 Black Men of America (Atlanta, Georgia)
  In a partnership with NIKE, 100 BMoA provides Youth Mentor Programs for their 68 chapters throughout the United States. They provide support to more than 60,000 children and young adults through programs that emphasize mentoring with educational, anti-violence and economic development messages. 100 BMoA also sends several young adults to participate in the NIKE summer intern program and NIKE management provides expertise to 100 BMoA chapters in the areas of advertising, human resources and marketing. Contact Information.

• Future Force (Atlanta, Georgia)
  This program combines educational and social services with specialized training to help young people become leaders within their own peer and social groups. Members complete three distinct levels of development. Each level consists of training seminars, retreats, community service projects, team meetings, conferences, and other activities to help students develop strong leadership abilities. A partnership with Atlanta Cities in Schools, the U.S. Army and The Atlanta Project. Contact Information.

• Georgia Commission on National and Community Service Hands On Atlanta AmeriCorps (Atlanta, Georgia)
  AmeriCorps members provide tutoring, service-learning, mentoring, and life skills programming for students in 17 Atlanta elementary, middle, and high schools to increase the academic and general school success of nearly 6,000 students. These programs include one-to-one and small group tutorial assistance, management and coordination of volunteer reading mentors, integration of service-learning into curricula, development of projects to engage students in direct service to the community, leadership development training, and engaging high school students as tutors in the elementary school programs. Members serve in teams of four to ten in schools where a majority of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch and where student scores on standardized tests are below the 50th percentile. Contact Information.

• Communities in Schools (Lenoir, North Carolina)
  The primary goal of this organization is to connect community resources with schools to help young people successfully learn, stay in school, and prepare for life. The program was created by a public/private partnership to target and meet the needs of students in Caldwell County Schools. They provide their tutor/mentors with an introductory training session and offer training workshops on various topics for working with at-risk youth. Tutor/mentors typically work with students one day a week for about one hour. Contact Information.

• The Giraffe Program (US-Wide)
  This program is implemented by teachers and through alliances with major national organizations. It works because it brings kids real heroes--people who stand tall, who stick their necks out to make sure their world is a better place. The Program uses tales of over 800 real heroes to inspire children to "stand tall themselves," putting what they have learned about heroes' courage, caring, and responsibility into action. Contact Information.

• Garrison Elementary School (Washington, D.C.)
  This program requires all those who want to be on the baseball team to attend an after-school reading program where they are each matched with a mentor and a tutor. The mentors are members of the District of Columbia Superior Court bench, and the literacy tutors are primarily college and high school students. Contact Information.

• 500 Role Models of Excellence Project (Dade County, Florida)
  Three thousand African-American boys are gaining life skills, academic inspiration, and social education from the 500 Role Models ProjectÑone of the nation's most successful efforts to recruit large numbers of African-American men to mentor boys. At-risk youth are matched with successful adult volunteers who meet with them regularly to provide advice and guidance, while educating them on social issues. Launched in 1993, there are now 1,200 mentors guiding more than 3,000 young people. Contact Information.

• Youth Motivators Program (Broward County, Florida)
  Volunteer mentors guide youth at risk in school, and each school sets its own guidelines and determines how and where the program is used at that school. Recruitment is handled by a county facilitator who speaks to civic groups, contacts businesses, does television and radio interviews, targets potential volunteers, and publicizes training sessions for potential motivators. Potential motivators must attend a 2-hour training session conducted by the district office staff. All volunteers are required to be finger printed and given security clearance. Youth motivators (community and business volunteers) meet once a week during the school day with a student for one hour.

  A two hour training program is required for all youth motivators that includes a profile of the dropout, reasons for dropping out, what a youth motivator is, listening skills, strategies for helping students, confidentiality, techniques for opening up communication and ways to promote educational goals. Improvements have been noted in grades, attendance, self image, self-confidence, and outlook on life. Matching the motivator with the student is the responsibility of the school.

  When matching students, the coordinating person starts with those students who want to succeed and not with the most troubled students who may need professional, intensive counseling. Similarities in backgrounds, hobbies, family composition, and career interests are considered in matching students with motivators. A parental consent letter must be signed by the parent and kept with the school's records before the student can participate in the program. Activities include discussing priorities for the week, study and test-taking tips, help with make-up or current homework, using a problem-solving activity for decision making, discussing how education helps at work, visiting the motivator's work site, lunch, visiting a local college or junior college, helping the motivator with other volunteer activities, visiting the public library, playing golf or going fishing, attending a concert or play, and learning a new craft. Contact Information.

• 100 Young Mens Leadership Forum (San Francisco, California)
  Organized by a team of clergy, educators and community leaders, this Forum targets African American boys from middle schools in San Francisco in order to support their graduation from high school. Students have adult mentors and eventually become mentors themselves. The school district contributes after-school tutors for each student as well. Contact Information.

• EMQ Mentoring Program (Campbell, California)
  Established by EMQ Children and Family Services as a Neighbor to Neighbor Mentor Program, this service matches children ages 5 to 18 with adults in the community. The pairs spend time together on a regular basis, sometimes choosing interesting and fun activities, and other times, relaxing and becoming better acquainted. The mentors come from all walks of life and no special skills or prior training is required, just the strong desire to help a troubled child through personal guidance and companionship. Contact Information.

• The RESCUE Youth Program (Los Angeles, California)
  Developed by the District Attorney's Office and the Los Angeles County Fire Department to work with young people, ages 12 to 14, who are not yet involved in criminal activities, but are exhibiting at-risk behavior, such as frequent absenteeism, truancy, and tardiness and who have the potential to drop out of school. Upon receiving parental consent, the District Attorney staff members interview the referred student and match the youth with a firefighter who volunteers to serve as a mentor at a designated fire station near the student's home. Field trips and other activities which promote individual and group responsibility and teamwork are scheduled throughout the year. Activities range from recreational outings to view local professional sports teams to projects which benefit the community. Contact Information.

• Walden One on One Mentoring/Mentoring U.S.A. (San Diego, California)
  This program is an early intervention school or site-based program to prevent school dropouts, based on a model developed by Matilda Raffa Cuomo. The program matches K to grade 8 students with trained, caring adult volunteers on a one-to-one basis. Results show that grades go up, school absenteeism goes down and children gain new confidence and hope for the future. Sponsored by Walden Family Services. Contact Information.

• The Mentoring Center (Oakland, California)
  The Center provides technical assistance and training to organizations starting or operating mentoring programs. Its object is to establish mentoring experiences that work for kids. Started in 1989, the center has helped 110 groups in the nine-county Bay areas and serves nearly 9,000 youth. Contact Information.

• Hollywood Education and Literacy Project (Hollywood, California)
  This project is affiliated with Applied Scholastics International in Los Angeles and utilizes the study and learning methods developed by L. Ron Hubbard. They have trained more than two dozen tutor/mentors who are teaching learning skills to more than 60 students of all ages. Everyone who works at the project is a volunteer, and there is no charge for their services. Their training features an internship and certification program unique to the field of mentoring and tutoring. Contact Information.

• Fulfillment Fund (Los Angeles, California)
  Eighth grade students are chosen as Fulfillment Fund scholars based on potential and the likelihood that they would not realize this potential without additional community support. For the first 5 years, they are mentored by a successful adult who is trained and supported by the Fund. For the next 5 years, a student is sponsored by one or more donors who provide scholarship money. Through this ten year program, the fund helps the student develop self-esteem, complete school, broaden horizons, and pursue an advanced education. Students are encouraged to continue their education beyond high school. Approximately 300 students are currently being mentored. One hundred new students are added each year through the L.A. Unified School District and the program has received an outstanding mentor program award in California. The program was initiated in 1977 and currently actress Annette Bening is the spokesperson.Contact Information.

• The After-School Corporation of New York (New York, New York)
  This organization was originally formed in 1998 for the purpose of improving the quality of after-school activities for youth. In addition to many types of support activities the Corporation provides mentors for younger students and peer counselling for older students. Within the next five years, the Corporation intends to establish after-school programming at 500 schools, serving 15,000 students in the NYC area. Contact Information.

• MENTOR (New York, New York)
  A group of New York law firms established a cooperative arrangement whereby they provide mentoring to junior high and high school students. The program focuses on helping students learn about democratic process, particularly by learning dispute resolution. Lawyers from different firms visit schools and students, in turn, visit the different law firms and come to watch the lawyers work in court. The mentor program is designed to provide a more personal and in-depth view of the law, and even involves students in learning legal writing skills and Moot Court competitions, where they get to put what they are learning into practice. Fifty-two partnerships have been established between law firms and schools, and over 600 schools have put this mentor program into practice. Contact Information.

• Kids With a Promise (New York, New York)
  An after school program sponsored by The Bowery Mission in New York City, which provides at-risk children with tutoring, math and reading instruction, crafts, games and character-building Bible lessons. Includes a scholarship program and a mentoring initiative. Contact Information.

• ACE Mentor Program (New York, New York)
  In the spring of 1996, 17 local high school students each received a $2,000 scholarship to jump-start their academic careers in engineering and architecture Contact Information.

• Everybody Wins Power Lunch Mentor Program (Washington, D.C.)
  This program pairs professionals from the public and private sectors with Washington-area public elementary school students for weekly lunchtime reading sessions. A study of the program conducted by the Office of Planning and Evaluation of the US Department of Education found that poor readers improved their academic performance, increased their enjoyment of reading and even improved other classroom behaviours. Contact Information.

• Merrill Lynch Scholarship Builder Program
  In 1988 Merrill Lynch selected 251 grade 1 students at random and pledged that they would provide scholarships to each if they graduated from high school. Over 93 percent graduated. To help them make it to the graduation point, Merrill Lynch partnered with the Urban League and provided tutors and mentors from within their ranks. The program was so successful that Merrill Lynch is recruiting additional mentors to help the students as they progress through college. Contact Information.

• United Way Mentoring Program (Morris County, New Jersey)
  Developed as the result of surveys and brainstorming, this mentoring program is designed to increase the quantity and quality of mentors in Morris County, NJ. Training for mentors consists of a twelve hour curriculum that includes details on the role, rights, responsibilities and risks of mentoring , diversity and values as they apply to the mentoring relationship, sessions on communication skills and problem solving, and concludes with 2 hours of skills practice done through discussion items and role-plays. The program stresses the necessity of consistency, confidentiality, boundaries and the supervision of the match by qualified professional. The student partners are given information on what to look for in an agency and are encouraged to be as selective in choosing an agency as the agency is in selecting mentors, and are given a listing of over 40 agencies representing a variety of mentoring opportunities. Support is always available for the trained mentors throughout their mentoring career, and the Mentoring Program provides consulting services for agencies within the county. The mentor training as well as the services to agencies are given free of charge and the trainings are held on a regular schedule throughout the year. Contact Information.

• New Castle Chamber of Commerce Career Mentoring Program (New Castle, Delaware)
  Starting in 1999 this group will provide mentors for four middle schools. Local business people volunteer as mentors to connect with students identified by the schools as at-risk of dropping out. Contact Information.

• Forsyth-Stokes Mental Health Center (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
  The Center has established a mentoring program in the local middle school. While it has been in operation for about three years, it has not had much success in getting folks involved, but the experience has been rewarding for those who have participated. Contact Information.

• YouthFriends (Kansas City, Missouri)
  YouthFriends, a signature partner with the National Mentoring Partnership, connects caring adult volunteers with young people in schools to encourage success, promote healthy behaviors and build stronger communities. YouthFriends began in January, 1995, as a pilot effort in six metro Kansas City school districts. Today, 21 school districts participate in YouthFriends in Greater Kansas City and the surrounding area and in Kansas. Volunteers are linked with students, ages 5-18, with shared interests like a special hobby, music, sports, reading or computers. Or sometimes a volunteer works with a student who needs some extra attention. Contact Information.

• Mentorship Overseas (Spangdhlem, Germany)
  At Spangdhlem Air Base in Germany, middle school students are matched with U.S. Air Force mentors who help them with their studies. Volunteers from the 52nd Figher Squadron are recruited by the Wing Company Grade Officer Council (CGOC) to pair-up each week with students from grade 5 to grade 8. Their goal is to build student self-esteem and bolster academic performance. In 1996, they started with 28 students and in 1997, they matched about 50 students with volunteers.

  The volunteers have a significant impact on the students through their one-hour per week sessions. Reading, math and science are the main areas where mentors help their students. Each student has a workbook, where he or she lists class assignments. The mentors help with work that is due for class or help the students study. A teacher at the school is also the mentorship coordinator. Teachers and parents can nominate students for the mentorship program. Once a student's parents give permission, a mentor volunteer is matched with a student. Students and mentors complete a survey to determine their interests. The mentors are also asked which grade level they prefer, what their strengths are, and are matched with the students they can help the most.

  The success of the program has led to the creation of a similar program in another American elementary school in Belgium and the team from Spangdhlem has briefed Department of Defense Dependent Schools in Heidelberg and other military leaders about their mentoring success.Contact Information.

• Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) (Kingston, Jamaica)
  Initiated in 1991, the YOU program provides adolescents with mentors to help them with career guidance, positive role modelling, emotional support, and counseling. Teachers and guidance counselors identify students who can benefit from a mentor, and the student is paired with a mentor who has been trained in a variety of topics, including career guidance, communication, child abuse, values and attitudes, and goal setting. The students also are introduced into work settings. Over 200 volunteer mentors have been recruited and trained in the six years since the creation of the program. Contact Information.

• Rotary Reader Mentor Program (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina)
  This program was originally designed for children in kindergarten through grade five. An on site orientation to the program and matching of schools with local Rotary clubs is also available upon request. The Rotary Reader manual is published and distributed through the local Rotary. This is a training manual for a reading enrichment and mentoring program for young children. Mentors progress with their children through the grades. Children are matched with mentors as early as four years of age. Contact Information.

EMPLOYEE TO GRADUATE STUDENTS

• University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business Mentoring Programs (Calgary, Alberta)
  This business school along with business partners in the communinty offers its students several mentoring programs including the Calgary Hotel Association Mentorship Program, the Enbridge Incorporated Undergradaute Mentorship Program, the MBA Mentorship Program, and the Petroleum Land Managerment Mentorship Program. Each of these programs pairs students with experienced business personnel from the world of industry in the Calgary area. Most of the programs typically last one year. Contact Information.

• Vancouver Board of Trade Leaders of Tomorrow (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  This program matches students with mentors from the business community. The program emphasizes opportunities for networking, improving leadership skills, and increasing knowledge of various industry issues and policies. Students selected for the program must apply and be in their final year of post-secondary studies or a graduate student at an accredited institutions. Mentors attend a mandatory orientation and have continual access to a web-based resource bank for mentorship tips and tools. Contact.

• B.C. Building Corporation (Victoria, British Columbia)
  BCBC participates in three mentoring programs. In one program MBA students from the University of Victoria are matched with volunteer mentors from the corporation. For the last five years, six mentors have worked with approximately twenty UVic students per year.

  The second mentor program is called Guarantees for Youth Programs and was initiated by summer students employed by the corporation.

  The third mentor program, Generation Y, pairs employees with low income young people in the Vancouver area. Over the last six months 10 youth have received about 4 hours of mentoring. The program has been in operation for the last five years and approximately 40 youth have been mentored. Mentors perceive the success rate to be about 50 percent.

  BCBC is involved in youth mentoring because they are committed to social and environmental responsibility. They also want to be accountable to young people and use their collective knowledge to help young people through mentoring. They believe that mentoring contributes to the learning and development of the mentor and provides the mentors with a great degree of satisfaction. They would like to see a more specific connection between the costs associated with mentoring and the financial paybacks. Contact Information.

• GlaxoSmithKline (Research Triangle Park, North Carolina)
  This pharmaceutical research company is committed to fostering such diversity in its workplace and the community and has formed a foundation to support community educational and health interests. The Women in Science Scholars Program matches women from 24 area schools in unique internships and mentoring experiences at GlaxoSmithKline. Students work closely with GlaxoSmithKline mentors and these women scientists provide support and insight on issues such as working in the industry and applying to graduate school. Mentors also benefit from the arrangement. Contact Information.

• University of Victoria MBA Executive Mentor Program (Victoria, British Columbia)
  As part of the Masters of Business Administration program, students meet one-on-one with local business executives. These mentors are seen as role models for students seeking advice, gaining exposure to real management environments, and networking in the business community. The program has been running since 1992 and has over 75 mentors. Students and mentors are matched based on completion of a profile questionnaire, interviews with the program coordinator. Mentors are expected to bring students into their place of work, introduce them to colleagues, answer career related questions and offer advice. Informal networking sessions are held for mentors and students at least once a year. The program coordinator follows up by contacting each mentor and students six to eight weeks after they were matched to find out how the match is proceeding. A newsletter is sent two or three times a year to all participants. Upon completion of the mentoring relationship, both students and mentors complete a questionnaire to provide feedback to the program coordinator. There is a 90% participation rate among students. Contact Information.

• University of British Columbia Tri-Mentoring Program (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  This program matches senior students with industry and faculty representatives within the students' general career interest area. The senior students in turn mentor junior students about campus life and course selection. The primary objective of this program is to develop student skills in career self-management while building a sustainable mentoring culture at the university. Career coaching training is provided to all mentors and a mentoring resource centre is available online. Matching criteria are clearly stated and various matching tools such as an application form for partners and mentors is available. A program coordinator assists all mentoring relationships and provides support to deal with a variety of challenges. Contact.

• University of South Florida Corporate Mentor Program (Tampa, Florida)
  This program called Project Thrust was designed to retain minority undergraduates. In operation for about ten years, this program currently includes 40 mentors and mentees. Mentors are typically drawn from the local business community and the program matches are made and coordinated by a project advisor. Informal evaluation reveals that both mentors and mentees benefit from the program and all students have graduated or are continuing in their educational pursuits. Over 70 percent of the graduates have found employment or employment opportunities through their mentors. One graduate has even returned to act as a mentor. Contact Information.

• Epcor Utilities Inc. (Edmonton, Alberta)
  Mentoring has taken place in the Human Resources department of this corporation in connection with the University of Alberta MBA program. At present mentoring is only available within the HR department. The mentoring relationships have spanned one to three years. Mentors meet privately with each student about every six weeks for approximately one and half hours, and sometimes the focus is on helping the students write papers for their courses. The mentors find the experience highly rewarding and typically take the initiative in establishing the relationship as the students are often unsure how to start. Contact Information.
• Major Drilling Group (Moncton, New Brunswick)
  This organization provides on the job mentoring for students from the local colleges. An executive meets with students at the colleges to stimulate discussion of business plans; then Human Resources makes a match between a student and an employee, which is then intended to be self-managed. Contact Information.

WITHIN GOVERNMENT

• Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CIFA) (Ottawa, Ontario)
  Beginning in the Spring of 2000 CFIA employees in the Ottawa area will have the opportunity to participate in an interdepartmental mentoring program. This program is a partnership between CFIA, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Natural Resources Canada and is an element of the CFIA Career Management Program. The program includes an 18 month facilitated learning relationship between a mentor and a mentee; a central coordinator who assists in matching mentors and mentees, mentorship training for all participants, career planning workshops for mentees, monthly correspondence from the program coordinator on topics of interest, and a bi-annual mentorÕs networking breakfast. Contact Information.

• BC Public Service Mentorship Program (Victoria, British Columbia)
  Following the successful completion of a pilot mentoring project initiated in 1996, the Government of British Columbia expanded opportunities for formal mentorship to all ministries and regions of the province. The program is supported by the Union/Management Steering Committee on Employment Equity, which includes representatives of all employee unions and associations.

  The goals of this mentoring program include: the retention and advancement of current government employees, exposure to other areas of government, increased morale, commitment and motivation towards careers in government, transferability of skills, and the development of designated group members.

  All regular and some auxiliary government employees are eligible for this program with a strong encouragement for Aboriginal people, visible minorities, persons with disabilities, and women. Mentorees are matched with mentors in their area and ministry when possible, based on the goals and objectives they identify in their application. If a match with a mentor in another ministry is requested, or is more suitable, these are arranged, if possible.

  Mentors and mentorees complete an application form, agree to participate in a half-day orientation session and meet with each other at least one or two times per month for a period of one year, and sign an agreement which outlines what they want to accomplish through the mentorship meetings. A coordinator helps mentors and mentorees to review the suitability of the match. Contact Information.

• Industry Canada
  A mentoring program that has a strong learning and relationship emphasis. Used to assist qualified employees accelerate their career progress. Mentors and partners are matched after completing written application. Separate orientations workshops are provided and handbooks are provided to each group. Outcomes include removing myths that create barriers in the organization, using mentor tools to support co-op students, interns, and creating partnerships to facilitate unique learning opportunities. Contact Information.

• US Federal HIghway Administration (FHWA)
  As a way of developing cost-effective techniques the FHWA has created the Ice Warriors program, where state highway departments who request assistance in learning about anti-icing techniques are paired with a mentor from FHWA who helps state crews learn effective techniques and training. Contact Information.

• City of San Diego (San Diego, California)
  After piloting a group mentoring model in Engineering and Capital Projects in 1996-1997, city administrators expanded to a full staff city-wide program in 1998. The two broad goals for the program are: 1) to empower employees with choices and opportunities to develop realistic and relevant individual development plans; and 2) to insure that each employee who participates can have a quality development discussion with their supervisor.

  They also established seven business drivers that included: 1) better use and mining of the talents of employees; 2) a shift in thinking from "Up is the only way" to "Up is not the only way"; 3) develop leadership bench strength; 4) retain high performers; 5) increase working knowledge across functional lines; 6) create development plans and assignments; and 7) hold development discussions.

  Mentors are selected by the departments and groups participating, and there are four Learning Leaders selected for each of the 3 groups/departments, for a total of 13 with one back up. Each leader facilitate a group of 6-8 participants.

  All the sessions are evaluated and a year end evaluation is completed with the 90 participants, their supervisors/managers and the Learning Leaders (Mentors) In addition a survey is distributed 3/4 of the way into the program that tracks any changes/movement made that was part of their career plan. Contact Information.

ENTREPRENUER DEVELOPMENT

• Promontreal Entrpreneurs(Montreal, Quebec) - A mentoring service for entrepreneurs in the Montreal, Canada area who are in need of advice and support for their business operations. Contact Information.

• Forum for Women Entrepreneurs BC(Vancouver, British Columbia)
  Launched in 2004, this program matches women entrepreneurs of high growth businesses with volunteer men and women mentors. Matches typically occur each September. Women who join this group have established businesses that have been in operation for at least one year, are focusing all their energy and attention on this business, are seeking improvement and growth for their enterprise, and know specifically what they would like to learn from a mentor. A small fee is required that provides for a "meet and greet," an orientation session for working successfully with a mentor, a "thank-the-mentor" event, and an educational, topic focused workshop. Participants are required to email monthly progress reports to the Mentoring Coordinator, and meet with their mentors at least once a month. Contact Information.

• Mentor Your Business/Mentor Eget Företag (Stockholm, Sweden)
  A Swedish nation-wide mentoring program fortwo groups: newly started entrepreneurs and soon to be started entrepreneurs. The program is free of charge and the mentors offer their services at no cost. Mentors and partners (called "adepts" in Sweden) each receive three hours of training. Their goal is to make 5000 mentor-adept connections between 2006 and 2011. Contact Information.

• Powerhouse International, Inc. (Calgary, Alberta)
  A member-owned organization devoted to the growth and sustainability of small business owners across Canada. Members achieve measurable results through participation in proprietary peer advisory boards, mentorship programs and an annual mentorship dinner, called "Beyond he Boardroom." Powerhouse mentors commit to a two-hour period (three times a year) in which to mentor six participants at a Powerhouse advisory board. A fee is required and the service includes 26 professionally facilitated board meetings and CXO for Hire service. Ten percent of annual memership dues are converted into Powerhouse equity. Annual dividends are issued based on corporate performance. Powerhouse was launched in 2004, and has grown to support 125 entrepreneurs. Contact Information.

• Barbados Youth Business Trust (BYBT)(Bridgetown, Barbados)
  BYBT has a business mentoring programme which is focused on advising, encouraging and guiding young entrepreneurs into developing good business habits and principles which will help them to become successful business persons. Their vision is to create social capital towards helping youth to build sustainable businesses. The BYBT recruits, screens, selects and matches mentors with mentees based on the mentees needs and the mentors capabilities. Mentors initially receive the BYBT's internal training which is conducted by the General Manager and atleast one experienced mentor. Mentors are also exposed to business club meetings which is seen as a form of training. The results of an internal survey noted that 100% of the young entrepreneurs lauded the contributions of their mentors, not only towards their business development, but also towards their personal development. In 2005 BYBT was awarded the United Nations Development Programme's, Barbados Association of Non-Governmental Organization (BANGO) award for volunteerism. Contact Information.

• >Young Presidents Association (Irving, Texas)
  With chapters around the world this organization builds peer networks of executives to provide practical assistance, learning opportunities and support. Contact Information.

• Athena Foundation PowerrLink Program (Chicago, Illinois)
  This organization links women business owners with an "Advisor" group of mentors in their local community. Created in 1992 the goal is to provide a panel of volunteers willing to advise women business owners on important issues can help them achieve greater success. To be selected, businesses must meet specific criteria. There is a fee to connect each business with the panel. Contact Information.

• The Athena Foundation Global Links Mentoring Program (Chicago, Illinois)
  This program pairs women mentor/leaders from the US and Canada with third-year students at Zayed University in United Arab Emirates. Mentors are screened through an interview with the program manager and those selected sign a mentor guideline document and a letter of understanding specifying project goals and mentor responsibilities. Mentors meet weekly with their partners after they complete an orientation program. The mentors also have access to experts on Muslim culture. Contact Information.

• Growing Entrepreneurs Mentoring Program (Chicago, Illinois)
  Created in 1999 by he Committee of 200 (C200) this service is for women entrepreneurs whose businesses gross between $3 million and $10 million. The program takes a team approach to mentoring and both mentors and partners come from a wide range of industries, backgrounds and areas of expertise. Each partner is teamed with two or three mentors who are C200 members. Mentors act as the partners informal advisory board. Partners meet four times a year and mentors and partners also meet informally. Contact Information.

• The Commonwealth Institute (Boston, Massachusetts)
  This is a structured peer-to-peer networking program that brings 8-10 emerging women CEOs together in a confidential environment on a monthly basis. Participants come from a variety of industries with no competitors in each group. Groups meet monthly for four hours. A professional facilitator with extensive business experience runs each Forum. Meetings often feature an expert resource with extensive knowledge in a particular business discipline. Contact Information.

• National Association of Women Business Owners Mentor Program (Washington, DC)
  Provides an extensive list of mentoring and peer mentoring programs that specialize in working with women.

• National WNET Roundtables (San Francisco, California)
  Sponsored by the US Small Business Adminstration Office of Women's Business Ownership, this program provides mentoring and support groups for women business owners. Peers provide contacts, services, and suggestions for women business owners through a series of several hundred roundtables across the US. Each roundtable is structured according to the needs of the community it serves. Contact Information.

• Women President's Organization (New York, New York)
  A peer-to-peer networking program that brings groups of women presidents together in a confidential environment on a monthly basis. Meetings are coordinated by an experienced facilitator and the format of meetings typically follows a case presentation model with individual participants presenting their current challenges. Contact Information.

• Business Success Teams (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  This is a roundtable type of mentoring program, made up of groups of entrepreneur members who meet twice-monthly to assist one another in identifying and solving business challenges. Each team has a facilitator, and relevant experts are brought in as requested. Contact Information.

• Colela Group Investments (Gauteng, South Africa)
  This consulting service was started in response to a perceived need for the development and expansion of private sector business in sub-Saharan Africa and the contribution that they could make to African economic and sustainable development. They focus on areas such training, research, and development; stimulating black economic power; preparing documents such as business plans and grant proposals; financing; and business start-up information. To accomplish this goal, they select potential mentors, interview them to ascertain their skills and areas of expertise, conduct needs assessment to determine areas that need upgrading or improvement and tailor training accordingly. Orientation and interpersonal skill training are provided all mentors. The have successfully provided mentorship to more than 100 small businesses since the mentorship program was started in October 2001. The government of South Africa along with international organizations provide funding for the mentorship service and the fee rate is from R200 (US$ 32.00) to R750 (US$ 120.00) per hour. Contact Information.

• New Ventures BC Mentoring Program (NVBC) (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  Experienced business personnel act as mentors to a team to develop a business plan. The mentors are typically successful entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors or service professionals who have registered with and been accepted by the NVBC organizers. They often provide advice, contacts, feedback, and assistance on matters relating to starting a successful business. While networking events take place in Vancouver, BC, the mentors can communicate with the teams via phone, in-person, and email. To become a participant in the competion and receive mentoring as well as funding, visit the website. Contact.

• Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  Designed to help rural western Canadians with disabilities gain easier access to business training and development; mentoring and one-on-one counselling services; and, financial assistance in their pursuit of self-employment and entrepreneurship. Contact Information.

• Chamber of Commerce Business Advisory Service (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
  This program was designed in 1993 to "encourage new businesses, new opportunities and new jobs" through a mentoring service that is provided by volunteers from the local business community, primarily Chamber members. They work with new, existing or prospective entrepreneurs who need guidance regarding their business ventures. Mentors volunteer two to three hours a month. Contact Information.

• Women and Rural Economic Development (WRED/ENTRY) (Stratford, Ontario)
  ENTRY (Entrepreneurial Training for Rural Youth), sponsored by Human Resources and Development Canada, is an entrepreneurship training program for young women between the ages of 18 and 30. Through a combination of classroom instruction, group work and self directed learning young women will learn basic business skills, marketing strategies, record keeping, small business regulation, and networking skills while developing their own business. On going support and mentoring is provided during the business start-up. Contact Information.

• Sheridan College Post Graduate Entrepreneurship Program (Oakville, Ontario)
  This Entrepreneurship program is a 29 week fast track college program that uses mentors for an eight month commitment ( September to April). Mentors meet once every 1-2 weeks to guide and coach the student through the process. Students are expected to spend 2 weeks on site at the mentor's place of business. Contact Information.

• Canadian Youth Business Foundation (Calgary, Toronto, St. John's, Canada)
  The Mentor Program is one of three core programs developed by Youth Business to provide business support services for Canada's youth. There is both a physical and virtual component to the mentoring program. Mentors work with youth from the start-up phase through to the first three years of business operation. A mentor is a person with business experience and who is respected and connected in the local business community. They provide support, networking, and counselling for the young entrepreneur. Mentoring is a mutually beneficial partnership. The experienced partner is reflective about his/her venture, is able to communicate, and is willing to share his/her understanding and knowledge about what has made his/her venture grow. The young entrepreneur or partner is receptive to the suggestions of the mentor and is also willing to try to implement some of them in his/her business. Mentoring is an on-going partnership which may need to last for a number of months before any benefits are realized by either partner. The partners need to commit themselves to regular meetings with a focused agenda. Each mentor records a short summary of their experience with the young entrepreneur on a quarterly basis. The Mentor Coordinator calls the mentor periodically, and the mentor will be encouraged to contact the Coordinator if any questions regarding the relationship arise. At the first meeting between mentor and partner they address start-up issues and initial goals. The website includes ideas about the evolution of mentoring, a forum for discussion about mentoring and other resources. Contact Information.

• Business Development Bank of Canada (Montréal, Quebec; Halifax, Nova Soctia; Vancouver, British Columbia; Toronto, Ontario Winnipeg, Manitoba)
  Winners of the yearly Young Entrepreneurs Awards are matched with prominent business people from his or her province or territory. The mentor and partner meet three times during the year, once to establish a relationship, second to check on progress, and at the last meeting to review activities. Mentors may also arrange for the partner to meet with other business experts. The Bank helps with meeting arrangements and follows-up with both the mentor and partner to determine outcomes. The Bank perceives the program as valuable to the mentors as it gives them an opportunity to make constructive contributions to the development of business in Canada. Contact Information.

• Entrepreneurship Centre Mentorship Program (Ottawa, Ontario)
  This program has been designed to increase the success rate of small and medium sized businesses in the Ottawa area through the sharing of management expertise. Volunteers from the regions' successful businesses and professional firms are matched with entrepreneurs who have been in business at least two years. Matches are made through applications and personal interviews. Mentors are given written expectations and suggestions. After six months the mentor and protege are asked to provide feedback on how the program is working for them. They may choose to continue an ongoing relationship. Contact Information.

• Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs (Toronto, Ontario)
  ACE's mission is to build university and college educated entrepreneurs who will establish growing businesses, create meaningful employment and be Canadian business leaders of tomorrow. Through a nation wide, chapter based delivery organization at universitites and colleges, ACE communicates the importance of self initiative and entrepreneurship by stimulating and exchanging ideas. ACE members ready to start a business receive one-on-one support of an experienced entrepreneur who provides help through the start-up and planning stages of the business venture. Contact Information.

• Canadian Youth Business Foundation (London, Ontario)
  The CYBF is a joint venture between CIBC, Royal Bank, Air Canada, IBM Canada, and the Bank of Montreal with the Canadian Youth Foundation to provide mentoring, among other services, to young Canadian entrepreneurs. The foundation provides micro-loans of up to $15,000, volunteer mentor support and networking via the internet to help youth create their own businesses. The mentoring program provides local volunteer support, including start-up advisors, personal mentors, counsellors and experts. Studies of micro-lending programs from around the world helped the consortium to identify mentoring as a crucial ingredient in start-up success. The program has been initiated first in the London (Ontario) area and plans to expand to 60 different communities in the next five years. The Foundation hopes to achieve a 75 percent success rate on its loan program. Contact Information.

• Step Up/Step Ahead (Toronto, Ontario)
  Operating since about 1992, this mentor program was originally started by the Business Development Bank of Canada, but is now managed by former Step Up graduates who have formed a women's networking group called Step Ahead. Differences of opinion over how the bank's program should operate have split the partners from the original Step Up group. Now, the women's networking group has launched its own support program, called Step Ahead's One-on-One Mentoring program. Step Ahead is currently accepting applications for its first session. Meanwhile, the bank plans to offer its Step Up program this year, as soon as it finds a community sponsor to replace Step Ahead.

  The pairing of novice women entrepreneurs with more established women in business has had benefits. The banks say that 92 per cent of Step Up graduates increased their profits, 78 per cent expanded, 49 per cent created new jobs and 53 per cent entered new markets.

  So far, Step Ahead's mentoring program has two corporate sponsors, the accounting firm of Coopers and Lybrand and the legal firm Fasken Campbell Godfrey. Step Ahead would like to expand to become a national lobby group for women business owners.

  To receive mentoring from Step Ahead entrepreneurs must be interested in expanding their current business activities. In addition they must have been in business at least two years and have annual sales of $100,000 or more. The program costs $750 to attend, and includes a monthly four-hour workshop and a package of business planning computer software. Contact Information.

• Small Business Mentoring Program (London, Ontario)
  Business professionals volunteer their time and expertise to provide listening clear communication for new entrepreneurs. After matching occurs, whatever discussions take place are confidential. Contact Information.

• Next Generation Economy, Inc. (Alburquerque, New Mexico)
  This organization created a program called Entrepreneurial Leadership Excelerator for business leaders that pairs an experienced mentor to help leaders understand their own leading, values and purpose, communicate their expectations and better understand their followersÕ needs, understand and access their own sources of creativity; and build quality relationships with other leaders. The mentors meet with each leader for approximately 90 minutes each month. The program spans eight months and group sessions are held at critical junctures during the course of the program. The program is based on the work of Michael Shenkman and his research and experience as a consultant, executive coach and leadership mentor. Over the eight-month period, leaders engage in a number of courses in addition to their mentoring sessions. Applicants must submit an application, the details of which are available on their website. Class size is limited to 15. Contact.

• The Entrepreneurial Development Institute (Washington, D.C.)
  TEDI provides an experiential learning environment for youth through after-school and evening classes and workshops. It seeks to educate and equip participants and their families with the necessary skills and resources to become full stakeholders in the economic and social revitalization of their communities. Youth are paired with mentors who are successful business owners. Since 1991, over 1,500 youth in the Washington, D.C. area have participated in TEDI programs. These youth have developed over 75 business plans which have created over 600 jobs. The Washington branch office and TEDI's four other branch offices across the country are together expected to serve approximately 3,000 youth and their families over the next year. Contact Information.

WORK EXPERIENCE, INTERNSHIPS, CO-OP, JOB SHADOWING

• Youth Vision Scholarship Program (Canada-Wide) - Through a partnership with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), grade 10 students involved with Big Brothers and Sisters of Canada will receive significant financial and mentor support through to the completion of their post-secondary education. CIBC has commited $6.5 million from 1998 to 2008. Each year, 30 grade ten students are awarded the scholarships and participate in an intern program through YMCA Canada. Contact Information.

• Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (Ottawa, Ontario)
  CMHC is currently considering establishing a mentoring program for co-op students and new employees. Contact Information.

• Chrysler Canada (Windsor, Ontario)
  Several years ago Chrysler joined with St. Clair College in Windsor to create a mentorship and apprenticeship program. Students work two days a week with a mentor in the auto plant and attend school for three days. As a result, youth are employed on a part-time basis. The initiative guarantees that Chrysler will have a pool of trained workers for the future. Contact Information.

• Experience Canada (Ottawa, Ontario)
  An educational transition program with mentoring to assist 18-29 year olds make transition from school/university to work. Youths are given a two-week training in Ottawa, then go to a six-month work placement outside their home province. There they have a work supervisor, a home host, and a mentor from the community (often works in the same field, but not the same company). This program has been running since August 1996, they have placed about 200 young people, their goal for 1998 is 400. The mentoring component is important in helping the young person integrate into his or her new community and feel supported away from home. Challenges faced by the program are: (1) recruiting potential candidates, (2) making themselves known to youth; and (3) finding enough volunteers although they have had a good response from private corporations and small companies. Originally they wanted to coordinate the program from Ottawa, but they have learned that decentralizing and letting regional coordinators recruit volunteers locally is more effective. Funding comes from a combination of federal government and the placement business. Youth receive all expenses paid, transportation, 2 week training in Ottawa, $250 week stipend from which they must pay $100 room and board. Contact Information.

• Standard Aero Ltd (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
  This company provides opportunities for students to participate in work placements, similar to job shadowing. Each student is interviewed to determine a mutual fit and placements last from one to seven months. Each match in monitored by the work supervisor and an evaluation form from the student's school is also used to assess work performance. Contact Information.

• Moffat Communications (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
  The primary form of mentoring provided by Moffat is work experience activities for students from Red River College. Contact Information.

• Canbrands International (Moncton, New Brunswick)
  In addition to informal mentoring in their marketing department, Canbrands provides a formal mentoring program in their technical and engineering areas in conjuntion with Career Edge. They provide a 12 month internship for new graduates and Career Edge makes the match and manages the payroll. They rely strongly on mentoring to assist in helping all employees. Contact Information.

• Job Corps (Columbia, South Carolina)
  The US Department of Labor Job Corps program provides mentoring at two levels. In the admissions office and within the campuses, there is both a formal and an informal orientation to the company and its procedures. The work requires a great deal of teamwork, so they encourage as much mentoring and networking as possible. They also encourage the same kind of mentoring within the student population. New arrivals on a campus are assigned a big brother/sister to acquaint them with the campus, activities, schedules, etc. Naturally, these activities are monitored to make sure the right information is given and to teach leadership. Students are constantly encouraged to work together academically and socially. This allows them to develop work maturity and socialization skills. We believe in and use peer tutoring, the academic equivalent of mentoring. Contact Information.

• Learn and Serve America Exchange (Austin, Texas)
  Led by the National Youth Leadership Council, this organization helps schools, colleges, universities and community organizations implement service learning through peer mentors and technical assistance. The Peer Mentors provide customized information about how to implement and strengthen service learning programs. Contact Information.

STUDENTS TO OTHER YOUTH

• TriVillage Mentor League (Upper Arlington, Ohio)
  Created in 1995, the Trivillage Mentor League connects youngsters and adult volunteer mentors for one-on-one mentoring. in the regional area. In addition, they provide a school-based mentoring program that connects teen mentors with children enrolled in afterschool childcare programs. Contact Information.

• Camp Fire USA (Southfield, Michigan)
  The mission of this organization is to positively impact the lives of elementary aged youth by providing teen support and learning opportunities that promote character development and life-enhancing values. Their goal is to recruit 300 teen mentors in a three-county area. They believe that mentoring will help youth to develop social competencies, planning, leadership, and decision-making skills, as well as activities related to participants' individual interests. The teen mentors submit an application to insure proper pairing with mentee; obtain parental permission; sustain a 2.5 grade point average; and submit three letters of recommendation. Mentees must be referred by a teacher, guidance counselor, student assistant team member, school administrator or other adult. Mentees must also submit an application to insure proper pairing with mentor, and must obtain parental permission. Mentors receive two weeks of initial training as well as additional training throughout the program. There is a Teen Mentor Coordinator for each county. Mentors pay $12.00 to cover member registration, insurance and training. Adult volunteers and mentors must complete a background check (free of charge). Contact Information.

• i-SAFE America Youth Empowerment Mentoring Program (Carlsbad, California)
  i-SAFE defines Youth Empowerment as kids and teens learning Internet safety knowledge and skills from the people they listen to most - their peers. i-SAFE's student mentoring program gives students opportunities to create their own events and activities to educate others about the need to be safe on the Internet. The premise of the Youth Empowerment Campaign is to foster and encourage peer-to-peer communication among students in i-SAFE schools to help raise awareness of Internet safety. Students are presented with YE activities and opportunities to volunteer as Student Mentors in every i-SAFE Lesson for grades 5-12. Any student in grades 5-12 can become a Student Mentor, and the only prerequisite to become a Student Mentor is his or her desire to help educate and empower their friends and peers to take control of their online experiences. Student Mentors team together to create fun activities and events in their schools and communities to spread the valuable Internet safety message to others. Mentors receive an i-SAFE Student Internet Safety Tool Kit, which outlines and details many activities and events to help raise Internet safety awareness in their schools. Student Mentors who create Internet safety events and activities in their schools and communities have the opportunity to be recognized with the Outstanding i-SAFE Student Mentor Award. Recipients of this prestigious award are announced in The i-SAFE Times, i-SAFE's monthly national newsletter. Contact Information.

• Native American Adolescent Mentoring Program (La Grande, Oregon)
  This mentoring program, based at a local university serves Native American middle school youth. The program has been highly successful in recruiting university student mentors who are "students of color" (including Hispanics) by visiting student club meetings and promoting the program. Mentors have the option of using the hours for community service which is required for some classes and some awards and/or certifications. Mentors can also earn upper division social science credit. Contact Information.

• Baylor University Community Mentoring for Adolescent Development (Waco, Texas)
  The University's Health Education and Wellness Department created this program for at-risk middle school students and their parents to be paired with student mentors from the University for academic, social and emotional support. Mentors are trained through a college credit course on mentoring. The curriculum covers such topics as the stages of a mentoring relationship, communication and listening, adolescent development, and self-awareness issues. Mentors are prepared to discuss issues facing adolescents today such as sex, violence, the effects of the media, and eating disorders. A training manual and interview protocol are available. Contact Information.

• Chico High Academic Mentoring Program (Chico, California)
  This program, nicknamed CHAMP, partners with California State University at Chico to provide university student mentors for ninth grade students who have literacy difficulties. Mentors are asked to commit for at least one semester and are recruited by going directly to university professors in teacher preparation or second language aquisition classes. The mentor program leader visits their classes at the beginning of the semester and describes the program. While not all students volunteer for the semester based literacy mentoring, some do volunteer for the year long academic component. In addition academic administrators help recruit volunteers of color. Contact Information.

• Peers Assisting Student Success (PASS) (Conroe, Texas)
  A peer mentoring program, started in 2003, that uses high school juniors and seniors to mentor elementary through junior high school children. It works with the after-school programs at Community Centers and six schools. The peer mentors go through the same background and drug screens as other mentoring programs. Screening includes letters of recommendation from several sources and a panel interview. The mentors receive a minimum of 30 hours of training and are supervised by professional counselors. The mentors assist with tutoring, homework, support activities, volunteer at various events with the mentees, and provide a peer role model for many of the children. They meet with their partners at least once per week and come together weekly in groups to discuss issues with each other under supervision. Contact Information.

• Youth For Youth Partnership (New York, New York)
  This mentoring service is an initiative of Love Our Children USA, a national non-profit working to put an end to child abuse and violence. Members of the Youth For Youth Partnership are volunteer young people ages 16-24, selected on the basis of school referrals, interest, education, grades, and/or experience in mentoring, or working with youth. Applicants are screened and their references are checked prior to being accepted and assigned as Youth Peers. High school counselors and teachers can recommend "role model" students - known to mentor youth. Trained and supervised by graduate students in the field of psychology and child advocacy, volunteer peers offer listening online to abused and at-risk youths, share information about child abuse and violence, support and encourage reporting abuse, and offer information, hope, resources, and referrals. Contact.

• Frontier College Youth Program (Canada-Wide) - Through a partnership with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), Frontier College will provide university student volunteers to strengthen literacy programs by acting as mentors and helping with homework and tutoring with a focus on staying in school. Contact Information.

• Youth 2 Youth Mentoring (Riverside, California)
  A youth alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention group, Friday Night Live (FNL) with programs in 53 of the 58 counties in California. Each county office is independent and directs prevention services to the youth of their county. There is also a central state program office, California Friday Night Live Partnership that has responsibility for the dissemination of information coordinating technical assistance, compiling data, organizing statewide county FNL coordinator meetings and developing new program components. One of these components is a mentoring program for the community where high school and in some cases junior high school students who have the maturity, experience, training and interest become volunteer mentors to younger, less experienced, at risk young people. Contact Information.

• Mount Saint Mary's College (Los Angeles, California)
  With support from Edison International the College provides a student mentoring program for Locke High School and Gompers Middle School in South Central Los Angeles. About 15 college student mentors spend one afternoon a week at the high school advising at-risk students on a wide range of issues from resisting peer pressure to join a gang to applying to college. The Locke students are also trained to become the mentors for Gompers students and all students are encouraged to consider seeing themselves as college-goers in the future. Contact Information.

• North Little Rock Boys and Girls Club Coalition Against Violence (North Little Rock, Arkansas)
  The Coalition has developed a two-pronged approach for reducing youth violence. The first program trains high risk and gang involved youth in a variety of coping, leadership, and positive conflict resolution skills and matches these youth with elementary school children as mentors. It also matches the older youth with adult mentors from the community. The second part is a violence reduction initiative, which brings together community members to plan and implement awareness and development activities centered on violence reduction and skills and methods to reduce it. Contact Information.

• Project Pals Agricultural Mentoring Program (Austin, Texas)
  Provides the training, materials, and technical assistance to build mentoring relationships between selected agricultural science students and elementary students in at-risk situations. The schools involved establish a local team to develop a management plan and all team members must attend the State Project Pals Training. The team solicits volunteer support for a local advisory council, provides training for mentors, selects/matches as many mentor-mentee pairs as the program will allow, monitors the mentoring process throughout the year, and provides a year-end evaluation. Contact Information.

• Perry High School Freshman Mentor Advisor Program (Perry, Ohio)
  Teachers of incoming freshman cited a number of transition issues, such as study skill habits, homework expectations, understanding of school rules and regulations, familiarity with co-curricular programs, and a review of school traditions and social events. A task force recommended establishing a Freshman Mentor Advisor which has been in place since 1987. Junior and senior student mentors assist freshmen in moving from middle to high school as smoothly as possible. Mentoring time, during part of their lunch, gives students time to kick back, make new friends, and connect with a teacher. Many former freshmen have gone on to be ome of the best mentors. Contact Information.

TEACHER TO STUDENT MENTORING IN SCHOOLS

• Alberta Women's Science Network (Calgary, Alberta)
  This organization created Operation Minerva in 1988 to bring young women together with female mentors in science. They provide one-on-one mentoring, job shadowing, conferences, and other events to help more female students choose science, math and technical careers. In addition they sponsor a Mentors of the Millennium initiative to identify women from the past or present who have made a significant contribution to science, engineering, technology, or mathematics. They also publish mentoring guidelines for conferencing and job shadowing. Contact.

• Helping Youth Prefer Excellence (Lynchburg, Virginia)
  H.Y.P.E was created to help shape and form the future by nurturing the mind and spirit of today's youth. Through one on one contact with qualified mentors and children between the ages of 5 and 14, H.Y.P.E. encourages youth to make strong decisions toward their future and their community. Mentors and partners are connected through careful consideration of each individual case that is based on background, needs, and interests. Currently, there are only two mentors involved in the program and both school teachers with seven years of experience. Contact Information.

• UConn Mentor Connection (Storrs, Connecticut)
  A summer program for high school juniors and seniors. Faculty mentors are matched with students who work on a variety of projects and activities to deepen their gifts and talents. Contact Information.

• New Horizons Governor's School for Science and Technology Research Mentorship - A member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools in Math, Science, and Technology (NCSSSMST), the New Horizons Governor's School offers college-level courses to students who have demonstrated a strong interest in science, technology, computer science, and mathematics. Students attending the Governor's School commute from 17 high schools located in six school districts. Students attend classes for 1, 2, or 3 hours per day, 5 days per week at the Governor's School while also completing a year-long Research Mentorship Project.Contact Information.

• New Start Center for Learning (Worcester, MA)
  An alternative high school for at risk youth. Every school morning begins with a mentoring period between each student and a teacher mentor. The goal of this meeting is to identify any difficulties a student may have had in the past 24 hours or through a weekend. The mentor period lasts 20 minutes in the morning, and an additional mentor time occurs after lunch that lasts for 15 minutes. The purpose for twice daily mentoring is to form a trusting relationship with each student in order to help students achieve greater levels of academic and personal success. Contact Information.

TEACHER TO TEACHER MENTORING

• Tarleton State University Intern Teacher Mentoring Program (Stephenville, Texas)
  Student teachers in the teacher education program completing an Intern Year are paired with a mentor teacher. The mentor discusses expectations and provides space and support during the intern teaching experience. Mentors often focus on helping interns develop successful classroom management techniques as well as provide a variety of teaching situations for the intern. Time is set aside for a weekly meeting. Contact Information.

• Chario Regional School District Teacher Mentor Program (Wood River Junction, Rhode Island)
  This mentoring program grew out of a peer sharing program where teachers shared ideas about best practices. The focus on this program is to provide a mentor for first year teachers and assist them with the transition to the classroom, district and teaching profession. A set of mentor program guidelines was developed and a committee oversees the daily operations of the mentoring program. Mentors are trained in a mentor competency based system. Like other programs, the greatest challenge for this mentor program is pairing mentors with teachers. National guidelines that peers be involved in determining who is eligible for the program and seniority are two ongoing issues with this program. Mentors also receive stipends. Contact Information.

• Contact Information.

• New Teacher Induction and Mentoring (Florence, Massachusetts)
  Hal Portner is author of four books on mentoring and induction published by Corwin Press and several articles on the topic in the American School Board Journal and Teachers.net. He is also a member of the editorial board of Mentoring and Tutoring, an international peer-review journal. Hal offers a four-day institute for teams of K-12 educators and decision makers who will serve as leaders in the development or enhancement of their district's new-teacher induction and mentoring system. The issues, strategies and materials that constitute this institute are key to a successful comprehensive, coherent and sustained teacher induction and mentoring system responsive to their district’s goals, policies, curricula, standards, and personnel. Contact Information.

• Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Induction and Mentorship Program (Hamilton, Ontario)
  In order to reduce the number of teachers who leave the profession because of dissatisfaction with their teaching experience, lose confidence in their teaching skills, feel isolated or disillusioned, or are troubled by the lack of respect and recognition for the profession, this school board initiated a formal mentoring program to promote the personal and professional well-being of beginning teachers. An experienced and new teacher are paired and given eight days of "Learning Team Time" to build a contract based on the goals of the new teacher. The mentors receive training that focuses on interpersonal skill-building and professional growth. The partners maintain an electronic journal and build an professional work folder to celebrate their accomplishments. A steering committee oversees the program and has been a way for both management and union representatives to work effectively with each other. Contact Information.

• Glendale Union School District (Glendale, Arizona)
  This district provides a systemwide mentoring program for new teachers emphasizing coaching. Mentors are interviewed and must be recommended as well as have excellent teaching records and communication skills. They receive training from mentor teachers who have extensive training in coaching. The mentors are then paired with first year teachers and the district has cut down considerably on the failure of first-year teachers. Contact Information.

• SEED (Spreading Educator to Educator Developments) (Auburn, Maine)
  This teacher-to-teacher network seeks to identify, reward and celebrate teacher innovators from across the State of Maine. Introduced into Maine in 1992 by the Maine Center for Educational Services, SEED is a consortium of partners. SEED cultivates the great ideas teachers have developed that integrate technology into achieving state learning results. These educators, known as SEED Developers, are identified through a criteria-based application process and receive a cash reward, are publicly honored, and have their work published both in print and on-line.

  Developers will also receive professional development around presentation and mentoring skills so that they will be able to lend a hand to those who want to try their innovation in their own setting. SEED will then support other teachers around the state, who may choose to adapt those innovations to their own unique classroom settings. SEED will also identify a cadre of Technology Learning Leaders who will provide instensive support to those who want to learn more about using technology to enhance, deepen and enrich teaching and learning. Contact Information.

• Texas A&M University Teacher Induction Program (Corpus Christi, Texas)
  First year teachers are encouraged to return to university and meet once a week with their mentors who are retired teachers. The mentors also observe the novice teachers in their district classrooms. The new teachers also receive support from master teachers in their second semester of the full year course. The mentors receive training and can also receive course credit towards a graduate degree. Contact Information.

Elementary and Secondary Students Mentoring Other Students

• Leesburg High School Link Program (Leesburg, Florida)
  This school provides a program where senior students act as mentors to incoming freshman. The school typically has about 500 new students per year and this program helps the new students with adjustment, knowing their way around, and connecting with older students in a safe, responsible and informative way. Contact.

• LiteracyToday Mentoring Program (Morrestown, New Jersey)
  LiteracyToday, Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides life skills teen mentoring programs for disadvantaged youth who are not reading at grade level. Teen mentors learn job skills and are paid to be after school literacy and life skills mentors to 6-10 year olds. Each teen mentor receives an Individual Educational Program plan (IEP) from the child's sponsoring teacher. Results have shown both students and mentors gain from the experience. In addition to the literacy component there are also science and healthcare components that have demonstrated effectiveness. Contact.

• Bearden High School Students Mentoring Another Class (Knoxville, Tennessee) - The goal of this high school mentoring program is to provide each incoming freshman with a personal mentor to assist and guide them toward graduation. The mentors provide knowledge, fun, friendship, and confidence to students who are new to high school. The guiding vision is a high school where everyone is capable of becoming their best in a safe and interactive environment. The purpose of mentoring is to assist students in becoming lifelong learners in a global society by taking one confident step at a time. The program has a small grant that funds it. The school has a population of nearly 2000. A freshman class typically has at least 550 students. Each of the students has a mentor. The program provides training and assistance through a student executive board and sponsorship. They are interested in exchanging information with other schools in similar programs. Contact Information.

• Mount Anthony Union High School Peer Mentor Program (Bennington, Vermont) - Seniors nominated by guidance counselors mentor younger students to help them review possible choices for the kinds of schools they might want to apply to when considering college options. Contact.

• Dads Make a Difference Middle School Paternity Education Project - This project trains interested teens both male and female to each other middle school and elementary students about the importance of fathers in children's lives. The primary mission of the project is to promote the positive involvement of fathers and educate youth about responsible parenting. Contact Information.

• Adolescents Learning Positive Health Alternatives (ALPHA) - A peer leadership program that uses high school seniors as peer leaders for incoming freshmen. Peer leaders are positive leadership-oriented youth who take a vow of abstinence and present prevention information to younger students through lectures, role plays, games, videos and other experiential means. Peer Leaders are selected by school sponsors and administrators. Candidates submit applications, are interviewed, evaluated, and approved by an administrative committee. The Peer Leaders use the ALPHA Peer leader manual to present twelve wekly sessions. All participating schools are encouraged to send Peer Leaders to a two day conference hosted by FWHS. At the conference peer leaders are introduced to the manual and taught leadership, presentation and class management techniques. Contact Information.

• Arthur Meighen High School (Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) has created a peer program where members of the student body nominate those peers who are already recognized as having good communication skills and who most would trust. Staff advisors enhance those skills by offering intensive training once they are accepted in the program. Peer helpers often refer their contacts to the school counsellor and they follow a code of ethics. The primary services they provide are listening to their peers, working as problem solving assistants and mediators, welcoming and touring new students, leading small group and large group discussions, and assisting in grade nine school orientations. Students are chosen to be involved in the peer program based on a sociogram survey and they represent various peer circles. Candidates are interviewed and selected by the program coordinator and staff advisors. The Peer Counselling Starter Kit and other resources are used for training the peer helpers. Contact Information.

• Peer Program for Pregnant and Parenting Teens (New York, New York - This program uses the training retreat as its core approach to providing teen moms opportunities to become peer group leaders, positive peer role models and eventually retreat team members. In the inaugural retreat twenty-eight teen mothers or mothers-to-be participated in the experience. They came from schools in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens area of New York. Contact Information.

• Atlantic High School (Daytona, Florida) has created a program called T.A.L.K. (Together Achieving Lifelong Knowledge). Students provide peer counseling and peer mediation. Student clients are self referred and referrals also come from the administration and school counselors. Students are trained for one semester (peer counseling I and II) and then at some point when it fits into their schedule are assigned to the TALK Center for Peer III and IV where they primarily engage in peer counseling and peer mediation. They receive a credit for each class. They also go into the classroom weekly and teach classroom guidance units on conflict resolution and sexual harassment. They visit middle schools and teach conflict resolution and an overview of peer counseling. This school has been host to the Florida Peer Helpers Association and has presented programs at county and state levels. The program is seven years old and about 40 students are involved. Contact Information.

• Nogales High School Promoters of Health (La Puente, California is an award-winning, volunteer teen peer helper group that takes peer helper logs and turns them into skits on teen social and health issues. Some of the topics covered are teen pregnancy prevention, drug and alcohol abuse, STDs and AIDS, abusive relationships and child abuse. Contact Information.

• Belmont-Redwood Shores School District and the San Mateo County Health Services Agency and the Department of Health Education at San Francisco State University. - These groups have partnered to provide a peer education enrichment program where university health education majors train students at Ralston Middle School in an after-school education program concerning public health issues and careers. These students will, in turn, develop materials and curriculum for grade three students. Contact Information.

• Pomona Unified School District Peer Mentor Program (Pomona, California
  Students provide services as peer mentors, peer tutors, peer mediators, and other peer services such as tobacco cessation strategies, group leaders and other community service activities. Students also become certified to act as trainers of new peer helpers. Contact Information.

• PAL® (Peer Assistance Leadership) - A peer to peer outreach program for elementary, intermediate, and high school students run by the Orange County Department of Education. Their programs have improved school attendance, reduced drug and alcohol abuse, created a positive school climate, increased academic success, responsible behavior, and involvement in community service. Its unique features include a wide network of schools, PAL® Advisors, parents, corporate, and business organizations linked with a common goal of providing prevention and intervention services to students. A manual and video are available. Contact Information.

• Simle Middle School (Bismarck, North Dakota) - This school has for several years had peer helpers and a training program for students grades 7-9. Since 1995 they have added a comprehensive peer leadership program which includes a mentoring, peer tutors/helpers, peer mediation, and peer leaders. The school is eager to exchange any information with other schools. Contact Information.

• Souris Valley School Division (Souris, Manitoba) - Several schools in this Manitoba school division offer peer helping for their students. Contact Information.

• Peer Leadership in the Bahamas
  Seventeen public and private schools are participating in peer leadership training programs in the New Providence area. Contact Information.

• Hamilton-Wentworth Roman Catholic School Board (Hamilton, Ontario) - Teachers are trained in mediation and in turn train student volunteers to be peer mediators. Training covers the concepts of mediation, modeling the steps of mediation and role playing exercises. The mediators are introduced to the school as a whole at a school-wide assembly, so that everyone is aware of what role the mediators are to play. Peer mediators are usually assigned, if possible, in teams of 8, with one pair of mediators being assigned to each quadrant of the school grounds at lunch and other peak activity periods.

• Dale Road Senior Public School (Cobourg, Ontario) - Twenty-five percent of the school population are trained as Peer Assistants and engage in peer listening, peer tutoring and leadership opportunities. Students can request appointments with Peer Listeners and are restricted to 20 minute sessions. Time extensions can be granted by the staff advisor. Peer Assistants also help organize and run an orientation program for feeder schools and well as serve the community through various campaigns. Contact Information.

• Sierra Vista Junior High Student Mediation Program - Started in 1996, this program trains seventh grade students. This website provides the most comprehensive details about the model, resources, and training for student mediators. Contact Information.

• Center for Alternative Education (Picayune, Mississippi) - This school serves at-risk students from three different school districts. At-risk students are trained as peer mediators and students involved in disputes are referred to a peer mediator. The program has reduced suspensions and discipline referrals. Contact Information.

• Hichingbrooke School Buddy Peer Counselling Group (Great Britain) - This is a group of sixth form students who train in basic counselling skills to support students of all ages in school. Training continues for the two years in the 6th form. Part of the group also work with a local young peoples' counselling group to provide information together with a leaflet and data based information service on issues for young people. In 1999 the group were awarded a grant as Millennium Volunteers offering services to young people. Details of their work have been frequently published in the Roehampton Institute Peer support Networker and in the Rapport Journal (Association for Professionals in the Support of Adolescents). Contact Information.

• Taylor Road Middle School Peer Helper Club (Atlanta, Georgia) - Located in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, this program gives kids leadership opportunities at the school. Members of the club are responsible for assisting new students when they arrive at the school, helping with fifth grade orientation and with assisting at parent meetings when student tour guides are needed. The club meets twice a month after school. In addition to assisting other students within the school, the Peer Helpers generally also do one or two service projects for the community each year. Contact Information.

• Toms River High School Peer Leadership Club (Toms River, New Jersey) - Members of Peer Leadership are assigned a group of 10 freshmen to guide by means of five meetings once a week lasting one period each. The Peer Leaders help the freshman adapt to the change from middle school to high school and generally feel more comfortable in their surroundings. The groups are also a fun way to enable freshmen to meet each other and find friends they normally would not find. Contact Information.

• Kailua Intermediate School Peer Education Program (Kailua, Hawaii) - This peer education program, nicknamed the Healthy Surfer, was created by peer education students working with teen health students. The website zeroes in on topics that include cigarette smoking, harassment, marijuana use, teen pregnancy, and teen suicide. The purpose of the web pages are to teach the students the facts about these topics and encourage them to make positive choices. Contact Information.

• North Hargerstown High School Peer Mediation Program
  Students, chosen by their peers, identify, negotiate, and develop solutions to conflicts after extensive training in active listening, reflective paraphrasing, and issues clarification. Training for new peer mediators takes place every first Monday of the month. Contact Information.

• Fieldston School - This school has a peer leadership program where students work with younger students. Not suprisingly, the courses for training these students are included in the Ethics Department of the school, including two advanced leadership training programs one for grade seven and one for grade eight students. Other leadership programs include PALS (a homeroom mentoring program for grades 7 and 8) and Peer Mentors (for grade 9). Students in the 11th and 12th grades participate in the leadership programs on an application and selection basis. They are scheduled into training courses that meet throughout the year once a week. The students receive academic credit in Ethics and also credit in Community Service for their work. There are three faculty members of the Ethics Department who work with the leadership programs. Contact Information.

• East Pictou High School (Nova Scotia) Peer Helpers
  Started in1990, this peer Helper program is available in both East Pictou and West Pictou High Schools. Students in grades 9-12 are trained to help other students in a number of ways. Peer helpers have some members on the school crisis response team and the distance education for Special Kids Project. Peer helpers are available to other students at Junior and Senior Lunch hours and in the Jr. High Guidance Office on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

• Peer Assisted Learning in Orange County Schools (California)
  A peer-to-peer outreach program for elementary, intermediate, and high school students. Contact Information.

• The Justin-Siena Guidance and Counseling Department
  Peer helping is used as one of the options to meet student needs. Students are trained to assist their fellow classmates by enrolling in a year-long peer helping course. Some students receive addititional training by going into the community to elementary or Junior high schools to help younger students. Contact Information.

• Glendale High Peer Mediators - A description of the services and personnel associated with Glendale Peer Helping Team, including mediation and AIDS peer educators, peer tutoring, and peer mentors. Contact Information.

• Rockwood Summit High School Peer Mentors (Fenton, Missouri) - A high school program where students engage in many volunteer activities. Contact Information.

• Oñate High School Peer Helpers (Las Cruces, New Mexico) - Peer helpers promote those skills necessary to become effective people-helpers, involve students in school and community service, and promote the growth of positive self-esteem. Contact Information.

• The Healthy Oakland Teens Project (HOT) (Oakland, California)
  The HOT program educates and trains ninth grade students to become HIV peer helpers for seventh grade students. The peer helpers deliver weekly interactive sessions in seventh grade science classes, focusing on values, decision-making, communication, and prevention skills. The program trains 30 ninth grade peer helpers who in turn teach 300 seventh graders each year. The entire curriculum can be viewed and downloaded at their website. Contact Information.

• Mentoring Youth Leadership Committee (Prince George County, Maryland)
  This is a peer mentoring program which includes all schools in the Prince George's County Public School system. Youth from different schools work with the Office of Youth Development and through their training, they mentor other students in the high schools, middle schools and elementary schools. The mentors take an active part in designing projects and mentors from previous years, currently attending Bowie College act as mentors to the high school mentors. Contact Information.

• Open High School (Richmond, Virginia) - Student Services at this school oversees the peer helping teamÑa small group of 6-10 students who help other students through tutoring, mediation, or adjustment problems at home or at school. Mediation is often facilitated by two peer helpers trained as mediators and some peer helpers act as group leaders. Students receive peer training in peer helping course. Contact Information.

Police and Military Mentoring Programs

• Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Chetwynd, British Columbia)
  The Chetwynd, British Columbia Detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have developed mentoring relationships with youth in their community. The RCMP members found the program to be a good way to get to know the community while providing support and esteem-building activities to individual youth. Mounties participate in a four-hour training program prior to being matched with the youth, and a special needs teacher provides information on learning needs of students. The program has been so successful that the demands for Mounties exceeds the supply. Contact Information.

• The Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Committee (MACC) (Atlanta, Georgia)
  Involved with mentoring programs since 1995. There are 12 military installations throughout the State of Georgia representing the United States Army, Navy, Air Force and the Marine Corps, as well as the National Guard. Every base or activity is engaged in some form of mentoring with schools in the adjacent areas. These school-based programs range from one-on-one to group or class size supported by the military and civilian employees of the associated base. Their programs have proven extremely successful. Contact Information.

• US National Guard Challenge Program (Arlington, Virginia)
  A five-month residential program for high school dropouts has been created by the National Guard in partnership with the National Mentoring Partnership and Dare Mighty Things. The program pairs high-risk youth with mentors. Contact Information.

BUSINESS TO BUSINESS

• Kootenay Association for Science and Technology Mentorship and Business Assistance (Rossland, British Columbia)
  The program was initiated by the Kootenay Association for Science and Technology with the goal of providing increased, ongoing support to regional innovation and technology companies. Companies in the West Kootenay Boundary region requiring guidance, support and assistance in growing their business are matched with a suitable mentor. Mentors can be from a non technical background and from any region. The mentorship program will be free of charge for qualifying companies or entrepreneurs, and a program coordinator maps skill sets, aptitudes and goals of mentors with the needs and aptitudes of mentees. Interviews are independently conducted and profiles developed. A primary meeting is set up between prospective mentor and mentee to establish expectations and compatibility of the pair. Initial introductions are facilitated by a coordinator; a code of conduct is agreed to by all parties, and an evaluation is conducted at mid-term evaluation and and at the end of the agreed upon term. An extension of the relationship will take place if both parties agree. Contact Information.

• Business Mentorship Institute of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
  The Business Mentorship Institute (BMI) is a resource to economic and business development organizations and, through these, the entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan. They identify and provide mentors for building a business, a legacy, or a local economy. Partners are matched with suitable mentors through a local program coordinator who profiles candidates based on their learning needs and the goals of their new business venture. BMI provides an initial workshop and ongoing support to mentors through regular contact with coordinators who provide feedback and advice. The Institute coordinates a network of chapters across the province of Saskatchewan that are initiated and run by local program coordinators out of business and economic development offices. Since May of 2006 17 chapters have opened. Infrastructure to assist with coordinating the collaborative efforts of these chapter programs is nearly complete. For a complete listing of their mentoring programs and services visit their website. Contact Information.

• University of Tartu Centre for Entrepreneurship (Tartu, Estonia)
  The University of Tartu has created a cross-border, international, online mentoring program (XBM) to help small and medium size knowledge-intensive businesses in Estonia successfully participate in foreign markets. The program pairs internationally-experienced mentors with Estonian companies to improve their level of innovation and competitiveness. Prospective mentors and partners log on to XBMÕs website and create their online profile. The new mentor/partner candidate searches XBMÕs database, reviews detailed profiles, and then sends a match request to the entrepreneurial mentor with whom they would like to partner. Once a match request is accepted in principle by the relevant parties, an agreement is signed, and the mentoring relationship begins. The success of XBM is measured an increase of partnersÕ knowledge and skills in entrepreneurship and innovation; an increase of innovation costs in partnersÕ companies; an increase of export turnover and of surplus value per employee in menteesÕ companies. During XBMÕs pilot and start-up phase they expect to create 60 mentoring pairs, run an XBM Internet portal, build the network of partners, mentors and their background organizations, and publicize XBMÕs success stories to the public in Estonia and abroad. Contact Information.

• US Department of Defense Mentor-Protege Program (Arlington, Virginia)
  Started in 1991 the purpose of this program is to help small businesses become competitive for contracts with the Department of Defense. Larger corporations who have been successful at obtaining contracts act as mentors to smaller firms. Partnerships are developed through Agreements. Hundreds of organizations have participated in these agreements and the results are typically positive, constructive and useful in building stronger business relationships, elevating small business firms to a higher level, transferring technology, and fulfilling the procurement needs of the Defense Department. To participate a number of templates, applications and support documents are available. A list of all current Agreements, Mentors, and Proteges is available and can be searched by type of service. A special award is also available to recognize outstanding mentor-protege teams. Contact Information.

• The Calgary Centre for Non-Profit Management (Calgary, Alberta)
  This organization provides mentors for small charitable non-profit organizations for a period of 15 months to help such organizations in the development of strategic fundraising plans. There is no fee for this service and participant organizations are expected to be involved in about five days per month. Criteria to receive a mentor include: (1) in good standing with the Alberta Corporate Registry; (2) located in Calgary; (3) have an annual budget of one million or less; (4) have paid staff; (5) need assistance in fundraising and resource development; and (6) demonstrate a strong commitment to participate. Mentors are paid for their involvement and typically are involved in a minimum of 10 hours per month for 15 months. Contact.

• Lean Manufacturing Network (Jasper, Indiana)
  This non-profit organization provides individuals and companies with training, resources, and professional networking in learning how to effectively implement change management, leadership, team-building and Lean Manufacturing to achieve world-class performance results. Outreach consultants/mentors have been certified by the Lean Manufacturing Network (LMC). One-on-one mentoring relationships are prime focus but they also offer training in how to establish mentoring programs in an organization. Most of their mentoring is provided for free. They charge for participation in the Lean Specialist Certification Program. Contact Information.

• African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania Mentor Protege Program
  The goal of this program is to strengthen African-American small businesses by providing them with a mentor who is typically a CEO or owner of a larger, established company.The Chamber conducts a search and selection for prospective mentors and a meeting is arranged and facilitated by Chamber staff between the mentor and eligible businesses. Contact.

• The Alabama BusinessLINC Exchange (Birmingham, Alabama)
  This organization provides business to business mentoring relationships. To become a protege, a company must have been in business for at least eighteen months, demonstrate entrepreneurial skills, and submit a needs assessment survey, financial statements and description of goals and expectations of the program. Costs include a $100 application fee and $250 payable after being matched with a mentor. Similarly, a mentor must work for an established business with steady growth and be able to offer valuable business information and advice in a one-on-one relationship. Both partners are required to spend an average of four hours each month working together. Matching is based more on need than on type of business. Contact Information.

• Communitech (Waterloo, Ontario)
  A technology association covering the Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph area that has 110 members and acts as a voice for technology companies in that region. Mentoring activities take the form of four peer-to-peer groups, for CEOs, CFOs, senior marketing executives and executive assistants. Once a month, members of the various groups get together to discuss a pre-set topic of interest and to share ideas. Group members are able to share experiences and find solutions to problems in a closed-door atmosphere. Contact Information.

• Chicago CTO Roundtable Peer Mentoring Group
  Established to meet monthly for the most senior technology officer plus one other person from each of several companies in the Chicago area. Contact Information.

• Texas Parks and Wildlife Mentor-Protege Program
  As part of State Bill 178, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has designed a mentor-protege program to foster long-term relationships between prime contractors and historically underutilized businesses and to increase the ability of historically underutilized businesses to contract with the state or to receive subcontracts under a state contract. Each state agency with a biennial appropriation that exceeds $10 million shall implement the program designed by the commission. Participation in the program must be voluntary for both the contractor and the historically underutilized business subcontractor. Contact.

• U.S. Air Force Mentor-Protege Program (Brooks City-Base, Texas)
  A unique program to provide incentives to Department of Defense contractors by increasing the small business supplier base of the Department of Defense. Prime contractors develop mentoring relationships with smaller suppliers in order to significantly impact their ability to gain contracts from the Department of Defense. Entry into this system is by competition by demonstrating the best mentoring activities. Contact.

• RS Information Systems Mentor-Protege Programs (McLean, Virginia)
  This corporation provides mentoring to other companies, mostly small business subcontractors. As a prime contractor they help small businesses through proactive partnerships, provide courses and resource materials. Contact.

• InfoWorld CTO Directory and CTO Network
  Technology leaders interact with InfoWorld editors on various projects and have an opportunity to mentor each other. Contact Information.

• New York City CTO Club
  An invitation only group consisting of approximately 30 chief technology specialists that meets once a month to provide peer mentoring to each other. Contact Information.

• Weston-North Wind Mentor-Protege Program (Idaho and Pennsylvania)
  A major environmental remediation and redevelopment firm has become a mentor to a smaller, woman-owned company. The purpose of this business to business mentorship agreement is to enhance and strengthen the capabilities of the small business protege through mentoring activities and to improve its opportunities to successfully compete for various government contracts, and ultimately transition into larger prime contracting opportunities. Contact.

• Technology Leadership Council
  One of several chapters that meet monthly in California to provide peer mentoring to senior technology officers. Contact Information.

• General Building Contractors Association (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  This organization provides a Mentor Protege Initiative program that seeks to improve the local construction industry by pairing members of well-established construction firms with minority-owned firms. At the start of this initiative the GBCA selected five protege firms and matched them with two mentoring firms. Participants began their relationships through shared social experiences, such as attending a ballgame before meeting with each other on a regular basis to review business progress. The program has been rated as effective by all participants.Contact Information.

• Washington Area CTO Roundtable
  Chief techology officers meet to discuss various issues and act as peer mentors to each other. Contact Information.

• Chamber of Commerce Mentoring Program (Calgary, Alberta)
  This program seeks to assist young expanding businesses with access to experienced business people, and has been running for four years. Proteges are targeted from businesses that have been operating for at least two to three years. They are matched with a more experienced and successful business person. Mentors are drawn from Chamber members, from the community, and from retired professionals. Mentors take part in an orientation session that outlines expectations and guidelines. Follow-up phone calls are made from the volunteer coordinator to both mentors and proteges to see if the match is working out. Contact Information.

• Vancouver Island Women's Business Network Mentorship Program (Victoria, British Columbia)
  The program's mission is "To support and empower women in business by sharing information, experience and skills for the purpose of personal and professional development." This is a group mentoring program, and consists of twice monthly meetings attended by the proteges. At these meetings the proteges act as mentors to each other, as does the facilitator. In addition to these meetings, proteges establish a relationship with a suitable mentor. The proteges are in control of their own mentor relationships, setting meetings, and asking questions. The group meetings provide encouragement, support, problem-solving, and shared information. Contact Information.

• Business Victoria Mentor Training Program (Victoria, British Columbia)
  Created by the Greater Victoria Economic Development Commission, Business Victoria provides a mentor training program which allows a business or potential business owner to take courses over a one-year period and receive one-on-one consulting. Mentors provide assistance in building a business plan, market research, sales, marketing, customer care, time management, stress management, the Internet, and presentation skills. Contact Information.

• Manitoba Marketing Network (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
  This organization was established in 1985, to provide marketing advice and workshops to small and medium size businesses. The advisors are entrepreneurs and executives who are active in operating successful businesses. They are matched with business owners in need of assistance. Contact Information.

• Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Power Program
  This program pairs mentors from the Chamber with minority-owned businesses to help their companies grow. The pairings typically last three years. During the first year the pairs get acquainted and create a growth plan which is executed in the second year and revised for continuation in the third year. To qualify for participation companies must have at least three years of operating time. Mentors must be able to make at least a one-year commitment. Currents assessments of the partnerships have yielded positive comments. Contact Information.

• The Body Shop Canada (Don Mills, Ontario)
  Various executives work with small business owners to help them strengthen their economic and product base. (No further details available at this time.) Contact Information.

• Regina Mentor Program (Regina, Saskatchewan)
  This is a joint initiative of the Regina Chamber of Commerce and the Regina Economic Development Authority, which also provide funding for the program. Now in its fourth year, the purpose of the program is to assist new or expanding businesses through access to guidance and advice of experienced and successful business people. Mentors and proteges are matched one-on-one by the Mentor Program Committee. Mentors are mostly members of the Chamber of Commerce. Matches are based on applications, interviews, introductions and follow-up monitoring. Matched pairs meet for a minimum of one year at least two hours per month, and may continue longer if both wish. Contact Information.

• Plato (Dublin, Ireland)
  Plato is a network principle developed in Ireland where large companies, known as parent companies, mentor and support small companies in their area. Each parent company releases two executives on a part-time basis as their company's primary representatives and also allows access by Plato participants to their full range of management expertise. Plato is now established in Ireland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Slovenia, and England. Contact Information.

• EXCELL Executive Leadership Exchange (Portland, Oregon)
  A firm based in the Northwest United States that provides services to the chief executive officers of profit driven organizations. Their purpose is to help CEO's draw upon the collective training and experience of a group of peers in a confidential, non-competitive environment. The CEO's have no vested interest in the outcome of their discussion and support other than to receive the same in turn. They provide as part of their program and environment half-day presentations on real time subjects of immediate interest and concern to the group members. These subjects cover the entire scope of business subjects, and they seek out individuals and firms to do these presentation pieces. Contact Information.

• Ocean State Power (Burrellville, Rhode Island)
  The Environmental, Health and Safety Mentor Program addresses the individual needs of small firms struggling to implement EHS improvements. Ocean State employees work one-on-one with facility managers of smaller firms. Contact Information.

• Paradigm Training Systems (Aurora, Illinois)
  The owner of this training company provides mentoring to some of his clients on an informal basis because he likes to help and has learned how to benefit from mistakes. Contact Information.

• Department of the Army Pilot Mentor-Protege Program (HQDA-SADBU )
  This unique program pairs experienced businesses with businesses interested in providing services to the US military forces (Army, Navy, and Air Force) and Department of Defense. Technical assistance costs of the mentoring business are provided through a series of credits and the objective of the program is to expand the business base of small disadvantaged companies. Contact Information.

• Microsoft Corporation/Open Technologies Group, Inc.
  Through a contract with the US Department of the Navy, Microsoft will provide mentoring to Open Technologies Group in order to enhance OTG's capabilities to satisfy the US Department of Defense in the areas of sales, technology and process readiness. Contact Information.

• Industry Mentor-Protege Association (IMPA)
  Several US government agencies sponsor Mentor/Protege programs to encourage prime contractors to work with small, and small disadvantaged businesses. The IMPA is a non-profit organization established to promote large and small business partnerships. Contact Information.

• DISA Mentor-Protege Program
  This organization, which is part of the US Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, provides support to link large businesses such as IBM, NCR, and TRW who become mentors to smaller businesses that could benefit from their expertise in gaining government contracts. Contact Information.

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration Mentor-Protege Program
  This program is a business to business service where prime contractors are matched with socially or economically disadvantaged businesses. Contact Information.

• Fannie Mae (Washington, DC)
  - Fanniemae has at least two types of mentoring programs. Experienced business organizations are paired with less experienced organizations to provide expert assistance to improve standards or the ability to provide services to Fannie Mae, particularly minority and women-owned lenders. They also have a corporate mentor program which is a formal and structured program designed to establish mentoring as a core value of Fannie Mae. The program consists of several components designed to provide employees with tools to build and maintain relationships and to enhance personal and professional growth. In addition, the company encourages employee involvement in community service by helping them find meaningful volunteer opportunities, granting ten hours of paid leave per month for volunteer work, supporting those employees who participate in volunteer activities, and recognizing employees for their accomplishments as volunteers. This program is managed by the Fannie Mae Foundation, which is an entity separate from but fully funded by the corporation, and is the volunteer program for both corporate and Foundation employees. The We Are Volunteer Employees (WAVE) program has five components: a one-on-one volunteer matching service; team-building activities, in which the Fannie Mae Foundation works with specific Fannie Mae business units or Foundation departments to create opportunities for their teams to participate in volunteer service projects; employee volunteer recognition, which consists of corporate awards granted to those employees who have demonstrated a particularly high commitment to volunteer service; Dollars for Doers, which matches the hours employees volunteer with grants from the Fannie Mae Foundation to the agencies where they volunteer; and employee steering committees for group projects. Contact Information.

PROFESSIONALS/ASSOCIATIONS TO OTHER PROFESSIONALS

• Lilith Law Mentoring Program (Calgary, Alberta)
  A one-on-one mentoring program designed to provide mentoring relationships between women lawyers and judges, and develop, retain, and advance women lawyers through reciprocal learning, relationship building, and personal and professional development. Contact Information.

• Asian American Journalists Association Mentor Programs (San Francisco, California)
  This organization sponsors a number of programs that pairs younger journalists with experienced mentors. Mentors include veteran newsroom managers, television and radio broadcast professionals, and newspaper executives. Some of the mentoring interactions take place in short, intensive periods and others are year-long activities. Contact Information.

• Toronto Human Resources Professionals Association (THRPA) (Toronto, Ontario)
  Mentors must be THRPA members at the manager level or above with at least five years experience and hold the CHRP designation. Partners must be employed with a minimum of six month's experience and be working towards the CHRP designation. Mentor/partner meetings occur at least once per month for a minimum of six months. Contact Information.

• Employee Assistance Society of North America (EASNA) (Chicago, Illinois)
  This mentoring service has been established to assist employee assistance programs (EAP's) that want to become accredited through the Council on Accreditation. EASNA provides a trained mentor for up to four hours of assistance on a variety of topics related to becoming accedited. Contact Information.

• Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta).
  This professional organization provides a mentoring program that uses mentoring software to match partners based on compatibility, skill needs, and communication and thinking styles. Individuals searching for a mentor are provided with anonymous profiles of potential mentors. A 70-page mentoring handbook is available from the coordinator of the project. Partners who have been matched typically return to the program to act as mentors to future partners. Contact Information.

• Project Management Institute of Southern Ontario (Toronto, Ontario)
  This member-based organization provides one-on-one, face-to-face mentoring between experienced project managers and less experienced project managers. To become involved in the mentoring program, participants must be members of the organization, and members also earn professional development credit for their participation. Contact Information.

• International Association of Business Communicators (Calgary, Alberta)
  The IABC/Calgary chapter has two formal mentoring programs. One matches student members with professional members and the second matches senior communicators with intermediate communicators who are undergoing an Accreditation process (to become an Accredited Business Communicator). The program was initially developed by the International office in San Francisco. Contact.

• Trudeau Mentors Programme(Montreal, Quebec)
  Sponsored by the Trudeau Foundation, this programme links together outstanding professionals who pursue policy analysis and implementation in their daily work with exceptional researchers and scholars. Typically 12 creative professionals working in Canada are appointed each year. They continue to work in their chosen profession, but they connect with individuals who are selected as Trudeau Fellows and Scholars. Mentors are selected based on the following criteria: (1) outstanding creativity in policy analysis and implementation in government, business, the voluntary sector, the professions or the arts; (2) a strong ability to engage in lively exchange with other policy professionals, researchers and scholars; (3) a commitment to work directly with Foundation Scholars; and (4) interest in one or more of the four themes of the Foundation, and a desire to contribute to public dialogue around those themes. The four themes of the Foundation are human rights and social justice, responsible citizenship, Canada and the world, and humans and their natural environment. Contact Information.

• American Medical Association Physician Mentor Registry
  This service provides a registry for physicians to become virtual mentors to other physicians. All mentoring is carried out by email and is available to premed, medical students, residents, and other new physicians. Physicians wishing to be mentors can complete an online registry form and create a profile for the Virtual Mentor Registry. Contact.

• CARE for Nurses (Toronto, Ontario)
  This organization provides one-to-one mentors for internationally educated nurses to assist them to qualify for registration and a nursing career in Ontario. Contact Information.

• City of Mississauga Library System Mentoring Program (Mississauga, Ontario)
  The idea of a Mentoring program was conceived by the Mississauga Library System's Librarians' Group out of a perceived need for increased commitment to the professional development of our librarians. A high percentage ofÊour current workforce is approaching retirement age and when they leave, much of their skill and experience will leave with them. A Mentor Circle of senior professionals was created and eachÊreceived training. Each mentor was assigned a partner, drawn from a pool of interested librarians, part-time or full-time, who are committed to self improvement. Partners develop achievable, measurable goals, have a willingness to improve themselves, be a willing volunteer, be prepared to offer honest feedback, and have a willingness to see the process through to a conclusion. At the end ofÊour initialÊpilot project each of the mentors and partners prepared a report on their experiences with the programme specifically relating to the contracted goals. A mentoring workshop was conducted to cover topics such as What is a mentoring relationship?, Have you ever had a mentor? How much time might one have to devote to this? The learning environment. What do we expect to achieve from the mentoring relationship? What makes an effective mentor? The roles of the mentor. The four effective mentoring roles of coaching, counselling, networking and facilitating. The mentoring contract. An agenda for the first meeting. Based on the success of the pilot project, the program was continued, and now all new hires are assigned a mentor. Contact Information.

• Skills for Change (Toronto, Ontario)
  This program links internationally trained engineers and accountants with employed professionals in their field. Mentors meet with partners for 6 hours/month for up to 6 months or until the partner is employed. They help them with their resumes and interview skills, provide them with information on professional associations and offer networking contacts. Since 1993, when the program started, more than 80 percent of the program participants have gained employment in their fields. Contact Information.

• CanadaInfoNet
  An e-mentoring program for helping immigrants feel welcomed to Canada and specializing in connecting skilled professionals, business and trades people seeking work in Canada. Online forums are used to connect individuals with mentors. Mentors must have a minimum of two years work experience in Canada and are provided with an online training toolkit and receive support from a mentoring coordinator. Mentors can also participate in a mentor-to-mentor discussion group. Contact Information.

• Golden Triangle Coachville Study Group (Waterloo, Ontario) - The purpose of this peer mentoring and peer coaching group is to master the skills of coaching and to network with mentors and coaches locally and internationally. Content areas are determined by the group and include coaching skills training, lessons, and interactive experiences; coaching demos and critiques as a way to learn and improve; corporate coaching scenarios to prepare coaches for different types of corporate coaching; case study discussions as a way to expand one's client/situational strategies; coaching competencies with examples and exercises; practice development for private practitioners. Contact Information.

• Cherry Lane Alternative Mentoring Project (New York, New York)
  This project pairs master playwrights with aspiring writers on a one-on-one basis. Writers receive the appropriate level of support for a particular play, and can also gain opportunities for rehearsal and performance time as well as marketing, distribution and financial support. To be selected as a partner a committee reads each submitted play and chooses a group of semi finalists based on the writer's capacity for storytelling, dialogue, and characterization. From this group of semi-finalists each of the mentors will receive 3-5 scripts to read and then he/she selects the writer with whom they will work. Contact Information.

• Australian Library and Information Association Group Mentoring Program (Perth, Western Australia)
  In order to facilitate transition of librarians into the profession, the Australian Library and Information Association established a group mentoring program that has since 1995 been used in various states in Australia. The program is based on three principles: a mutual learning relationship; attention to both career and psychosocial development; and a developmental evolution of the mentoring relationship. Group leaders act as mentors and group members act as peer mentors to each other. Groups typically meet eleven, two-hour, monthly meetings and lead mentors are available for small group and one-to-one sessions. Each group develops its own learning objectives. An evaluation showed that the program had strong positive effects on career development, but more time would be needed to assess the full impact. Contact Information.

• BC Human Resources Management Association Buddy Program (Vancouver, BC)
  Although this Buddy Program is only open to members of the Association its goal is to help smooth the way for peers through coaching and peer support. Pairs, typically made up of an experienced HR professional and a new person in HR, meet for five months. While the more experienced person can help set the stage and structure, both persons are equally responsible for active communication and initiative roles. To participate, members must attend an orientation meeting, set mutual goals for the relationship, meet in-person for a least a month, maintain phone and e-mail contact at least twice a month, commit between 2-4 hours a month for time with each other, and complete a survey at the end of the five-month period. Contact Information.

• B.C. Health Association Governing Board Mentor Program (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  This program involves a single mentor with a group of proteges. The mentor is trained to facilitate group discussion over one or two day-long sessions. Its purpose is to improve leadership in health care organizations. An experienced trustee is matched with the board of an organization, and assists them with identifying issues and developing strategies. Contact Information.

• St. John's Board of Trade (Mentoring Task Force, St. John's, Newfoundland)
  The Board of Trade has been active in mentoring for almost three years and has 8-10 mentoring partnerships going at any one time. The partnerships are active for a maximum of 12 months in a formal sense but some go further. Mentoring is done on a voluntary basis, and the group arranging the matchups meets monthly to consider new applications and monitor existing partnerships. The program is open to only Board of Trade members. Mentors come from the membership as well.

  Both mentor and partner sign disclosure forms. The mentor reports progress quarterly to the task force. So far 15 companies have or are in the process of taking advantage of the program. The program is advertised among the membership periodically and also has received press and T.V. coverage.

  The objective of the program is to provide assistance to small businesses who could benefit from the advice of a mentor to improve their business operation. To date 6 mentorships have been successfully completed. Three others started but did not complete. The most difficult part of mentorship occurs in the early stages of the relationship. The Board of Trade now provides help to the mentor and protege in the initial meeting. A member of the task force who will be responsible for monitoring the progress of the match now sits in with the mentor and partner during the initial session. Contact Information.

• Society of Broadcast Engineers (Indianapolis, Indiana)
  Members of the Society are encouraged to become someone's mentor, encouraging them to run for office and to be active in the Society. Contact Information.

• Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) (Arlington, VA)
  As part of the service of this organization, mentors are provided to assist persons who wish to become Certified Employee Assistance Professionals (CEAP). Mostly accomplished via distance methods, the mentors provide support and assistance to new members. The service has benefits for the organization, the mentors, and the new professionals. Contact Information.

• California Dietetic Association (Playa del Rey, California)
  Local chapters of the this California-based dietician group are forming a statewide mentoring program as a basis for a professional development portfolio. Contact Information.

• Orlando Fire Department (Orlando, Florida)
  1995 the Orlando Fire Department began a cadet program, which was initially started as a way to recruit members of the community who otherwise might not be able to afford to become firefighters. Because of the intensive and extensive training involved it was thought that pairing each cadet with a senior firefighter would enhance their training and would parallel training pairs currently used by both local paramedic programs and the Orlando Police Department. The cadet and field officers are paired for about six months. Several objectives were established that helped to raise the quality of service throughout the department. Funding was available from within the department and was partially supported as a way to reduce costly turnover or loss of employees after the normal probationary period.

  When the cadet program began, there were mixed feelings among the ranks. Many members had on the hiring list family members or friends who were certified firefighters with EMT or paramedic experience and other valuable training including rope rescue, dive rescue, and advanced extrication training. The new cadets would take almost a half year to bring on, and they would be "green." Mentors were selected according to the following criteria: they supported the cadet program; they were in good standing; they were dedicated individuals who wanted the OFD to continue providing excellent care and tactics; they were available for off-duty employment obligations they were knowledgeable in the workings of the department; they had spent a specified minimum amount of time on the job and served at busier fire stations; they had to hold the rank of firefighter or engineer and have teaching experience. All mentors received training. The program has been considered highly successful. Contact Information.

  For additional listings where the participants in professional groups act as peer mentors, but typically use different terms (such as peer support or peer assistants) see our list at Business Peer Programs and Adult Community-Based Peer Programs.

PROFESSIONALS AND YOUTH

• American Association of University Women (Phoenix, Arizona)
  The Northwest Valley branch of this organization provides mentors that pair with 30 high school and alternative education girls in a program called Next Step. Students meet with their mentors on the campus of Rio Salado College. Sessions include a focus on college admission and courses of action, information about student aid, planning for life, college and future careers, providing positive role modelling, examining non-traditional careers for women, and guest speakers that focus on public safety, community outreach and service, science, technology, engineering and math. Contact Information.

• Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) (Omaha, Nebraska)
  This program began in 1994, and empowers students from grades seven to twelve to clarify, pursue, and achieve their career dreams while affording students, educators, and professionals in the Omaha area the opportunity to learn life changing lessons from one another. The process affords students an opportunity to experience how professionals define the scope of a problem and how they work through and ultimately present their solutions on technical projects. Additionally, students are able to become acquainted with experts in the fields of engineering and architecture. Approximately 350 students and 35 teachers participate each year with the average team size being 10 students. Total number of engineers and architects volunteering each year as mentors, workshop instructors, judges, and expert advisors is around 100.

  A unique aspect of this program is that the students form their own project teams, select their own project topic, set the scope of their efforts, and determine the content of their end product or deliverable. The student teams prepare written reports that are submitted to the evaluation panel for review prior to the students' oral presentations. Since students from the seventh through twelfth grade compete, the teams are divided into two groups: one for middle school students and the other for high school students. This age division helps level the playing field for purposes of final rankings only, since both the project requirements and evaluation criteria are identical for each group.

  At the beginning or each year there is a two-hour orientation session for teachers and mentors. For mentor continuity, a mentor who has worked the program before works with any new mentor. There is also a workshop for all mentors and teachers who may bring six students from each team. Student participants are selected by their schools, and they may be hand picked for their skills, volunteer as a member of an engineering club, or it may be a class and part of the curriculum. The mentors are volunteers from the local professional companies, university, and military. A teacher is always present during the team meetings, and is responsible for the class. Each team typically has two mentors. The mentors do not judge the projects; instead a panel of individuals from the engineering, architectural, and academic fields of the local firms, university, and military act as project judges. The individuals are rotated among the different panels each session to produce a homogeneous evaluation of all teams. Contact Information.

• Asian Professional Extension (APEX) Mentoring Program(New York, New York)
  A non-profit mentoring program for Asian-Americans in New York City that provides support for immigrant families. They pair successful professionals with middle and high school students. The pairs can work on exam preparation, visits to museums, and other social activities. As of 2007 APEX has recruited more than 100 volunteers and is financed through donations and grants. Most of the students continue with their mentors through high school graduation and maintain their relationships after high school. Contact Information.

• Sustainability Mentoring NW (Manchester, UK)
  Experienced professionals act as mentors to students and graduates in the local area who are interestedin a future role in a variety of fields associated with environmental studies. Mentors commit to a minimum of 12 hours over a six-month period. Contact Information.

• Friends of the Children (Cincinnati, Ohio)
  This program provides professional mentors for at-risk students beginning in the first grade. Nearly 70 percent of the students have a learning disability, low achievement or poor attendance in school. About 80 percent have a family history of drug or alcohol abuse, criminal justice involvement, welfare dependency, domestic violence, suspicions of abuse or neglect or come from a single-parent household. The paid mentors average 4 hours per week with each child and three of those hours are spent one-on-one with the child, working on academics, life skills, self-esteem and other issues.The program currently has 10 professionals paired with 80 students in 25 schools. Mentors stay with the children through high school. An evaluation of the program has shown that children have improved dramatically in their school work and have fewer discipline problems. Of the children involved in the program, 98 percent have been promoted to the next grade level and students have received satisfactory grades in math, reading, science and social studies. The formal evaluation concluded that the program has a measurable, positive impact on the children. Contact Information.

• P.H.E.N.O.M.
  This web-based service, the Public Health Expertise Network of Mentors (P.H.E.N.O.M.) is a group of public health practitioners with degrees in public health who volunteer to provide career and school advice to anyone interested in the field. Mentors can be contacted by e-mail or telephone and details about each mentor as well as contact information are listed on the service website. Contact Information.

• Association for the Advancement of Blacks in Health Sciences (Toronto, Ontario)
  This organization sponsors mentoring initiatives that pair health specialists with high school students, mostly black or Aboriginal to help them learn about opportunities in health sciences. Students spend six weeks gaining first hand experience in settings such as a dentist's office, hospital, or a research lab. The program is run in collaboration with the Toronto area Boards of Education and the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine. Approximately 150 students have participated in the program since its inception in 1998. Contact Information.

• Professional Engineers and Geoscientists Mentoring Program (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  This program is modelled after traditional apprenticeship practices. The program is aimed at students enrolled in a four year training program to achieve professional registration. Mentors are drawn from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists and are expected to maintain contact with a protege for the full four year period and for at least two hours every four to six weeks. The protege's employer is also involved with developing a four year career development plan for the protege. Contact Information.

• Western Businesswomen's Association (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  They are participating in a mentorship program with high school girls in partnership with the YWCA. Contact Information.

• Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan Incorporated (Regina and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
  Part of the pan-western Women's Enterprise Initiative developed, funded and coordinated by Western Economic Diversification Canada. W.E.'s youth initiatives program works very closely with high schools and other youth institutions to encourage young women and girls to consider entrepreneurism as a career option. W.E. provides these schools and organizations with speakers, advisory support, access to training and mentorship opportunities. Contact Information.

• Western Youth Entrepreneur Program (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  An initiative of Western Economic Diversification, provides loans of up to $10,000 as well as mentoring and counselling services to youth between the ages of 18 and 25. The program is administered by the Western Canadian Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDC). Contact Information.

• Women and Rural Economic Development (WRED/ENTRY) (Stratford, Ontario)
  ENTRY (Entrepreneurial Training for Rural Youth), sponsored by Human Resources and Development Canada, is an entrepreneurship training program for young women between the ages of 18 and 30. Through a combination of classroom instruction, group work and self directed learning young women will learn basic business skills, marketing strategies, record keeping, small business regulation, and networking skills while developing their own business. On going support and mentoring is provided during the business start-up. Contact Information.

• City of Toronto (Toronto, Ontario)
  A mentorship program in which employees of the City of Toronto spend an hour a week over the lunch period with elementary school students. This is developed in a "special friend" context and the goal is to raise self-esteem of kids through a regular weekly visit and self-directed activity program. Contact Information.

• Base Pair Biomedical Research Mentorship (Jackson, Mississippi)
  Base Pair is an innovative cooperative alliance between the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) and the Jackson Public School District (largest public school district in the state of Mississippi), in which junior and senior high school students are paired with active biomedical researchers in a mentor/student relationship. A high school course, Introduction to Biomedical Research, for which high school graduation credit is provided, prepares students to engage successfully in the rigorous medical center laboratory environment.

  This biomedical research mentorship program allows each student to experience the scientific field in a "hands-on" manner under the guidance and supervision of a qualified instructor who is a researcher at UMMC. Teacher professional development and science curriculum enhancement activities complement the student participation to create a highly coordinated impetus for science education reform. Contact Information.

EMPLOYEE TO EMPLOYEE

• Solution Strategies (Peer Mentoring) (Seattle, Washington)
  Led by Steve Trautman, this organization has brought peer mentoring to a variety of organizations including Microsoft, Nike, Boeing, Intel, Electronic Arts, Nordstrom, Phelps Dodge, the US Army Corp of Engineers, the US Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard, Kodak, Food Services of America, and Southern Company. He has created a series of one-day peer mentoring workshops that provide a tools-based approach to communication and knowledge transfer and give internal experts a straightforward way to share what they know. Contact Information.

• Sun Microsystems (Santa Clara, California)
  The Sun Engineering Enrichment and Development (SEED) program matches promising employees with senior-level engineers and executives. New hires meet for one to two hours every couple of week for a one-year period. SEED graduates typically earn four times the promotions and receive double the number of top performance ratings than the average employee according to Sun's director of business architecture. At any one time approximately 150-200 employees are engaged in the mentoring partnerships. Contact Information.

• Hewlett-Packard Sales Mentoring (Palo Alto, California)
  Newly hired account representatives are matched with successful sales veterans for coaching and mentoring. The newly hired account reps improved by 18 percent in their quota attainment after the coaching sessions. Contact Information.

• General Mills (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
  This large corporation provides several types of mentoring programs for its employees. A Corporate Diversity Mentoring program focuses on matching new hires of color with more senior mentors. This is particularly helpful way to integrate minorities successfully into the corporate culture and help employees develop long-term career goals. This program has been in operation since 1996. The company also provides an Executive Co-Mentoring program where corporate officers are matched with high potential women and minorities at director levels and above. This program focuses on diversity issues and prepares participants for leadership positions. In addition the company provides mentoring circles, where small groups work with a facilitator and act as a foundation to practice peer and leader networking. The company also supports informal mentoring and a variety of different models of mentoring in different departments with the organization. Contact Information.

• Delta Hotels (Toronto, Canada)
  All persons who have been identified as high potential employees must have a mentor. To qualify as a high potential employees, staff members must have attended a management workshop, graduated from a hotel school, or have been identified by their managers. The mentors are recruited from hotel leadership or by the high potential employee. All mentors must attend a mentoring and coaching skills workshop. The organization provides guidelines and a tool kit for mentors. Meetings between mentors and partner typically take place weekly over a duration of more than a year, and can take place by telephone. Participant surveys are a source of evaluation and data has shown a reduction in staff turnover rates. Contact Information.

• Molson Canada (Toronto, Canada)
  Since 2001 this brewery has been using mentors to increase the number of candidates for senior leadership positions. To participate in the leadership mentoring, potential partners must be sponsored by senior executives and demonstrate skills in decision making and leadership. About 12-18 candidates are selected yearly. All senior leaders act as mentors, including the CEO and all mentors receive formal training. Once matched the partners complete a formal agreement and meet every six or eight weeks for 12 to 18 months. The Human Resources department surveys participants on a regular basis and results have shown a strong increase in the number of candidates eligible for senior executive positiions. They also provide a mentoring program for univesity students as production trainees in various brewery operations. Contact Information.

• RBC Financial Group (Toronto, Ontario)
  This organization provides several mentoring programs and belives they have created strong mentoring culture within their organization. Primary among their mentoring programs is the graduate leadership program designed to recruit and train new leaders. Thousands of applications from new MBA graduates are received each year and through interviews, the pool is reduced to 7-10 "associates." Mentors are recruited from senior ranks and receive formal training. They meet monthly with their partners and each partner works with a different mentor during 4 six-month work assignments. Managers provide performance reviews every six months and the retention rate of associates is reported to be "very high." Contact Information.

• City of Toronto (Toronto, Canada)
  Mentoring is a key element of strategic learning programs in this organization and the emphasis is on peer learning interactions. All employees are eligible to apply and selection is based on demonstrated qualities of self-directedness and commitment to learning through experience. Peer mentors meet in groups of 8-10 after completing an initial one-day training. They choose their own focus topics, typically meet monthly, and rotate facilitation roles within the group. Evaluations show that new skills and learnings are transferred to each participants work group area as a result of these meetings. Contact Information.

• Dun and Bradstreet Partners for Development Mentoring Program (Murray Hill, NJ)
  The goal of this program is to develop associates' business skills and enhance their careers. Every eight months an Advisory Group selects as mentoring partners 30 associates who exhibit growth potential. Each partner becomes involved in a needs assessment process. Mentors are chosen from among the company's officers to meet those specific needs.Diversity is a priority. Participants meet their partners and receive a day-and-a-half training session. From that point on, mentors partners communicate a minimum of twice each month. The company believes that the impact on increased productivity and employee retention have been very impressive. Contact Information.

• Syncrude Canada Ltd (Fort McMurray, Alberta)
  Succession planning is an essential component at Syncrude, one of Canada's top employers. As part of their leadership development plan, senior managers identify high potential people in their respective areas. Each person then details a development plan that includes work assignments, mentoring, and additional educational opportunities. Contact Information.

• Labatt Food Service (San Antonio, Texas)
  Virtually all sales personnel at this privately held company have mentors and the connection can last several years. Results have shown significant impact on both sales and retention and the company credits the program for exceptional sales growth. Contact Information.

• Inter-Tel Orientation Program (Tempe, Arizona)
  New hires are paired with an experienced employee to help develop a career plan during their first week on the job. Mentors also engage new hires in real projects almost immediately. Contact Information.

• Intel Corporation (Worldwide)
  This computer-chip manufacturing company has created a systematic and democratic approach to mentoring. Specific skills are used as a basis for matching, and the company's intranet and email are used to create mentoring partnerships throughout all of the company's locations. The program provides all employees with access to an online matching tool; resources and tools to help facilitate a partnership; and an optional mentor/mentee orientation session. Partners set up the meetings and determine the area(s) to work on. Partnerships typically last about six months, but many continue. Contact Information.

• Deloitte & Touche (Toronto, Ontario)
  Women typically identify two key factors that assist them with career progress: networking and mentoring. This consulting firm, one of the largest in Canada, has developed two mentoring programs for women: The Developing Leaders program and the Women's Business Development Group initiative. The firm developed these programs to (1) recruit and retain highly skilled professionals, and (2) ensure successful leadership succession.

  Mentors are selected with care and their skills and experience are matched to a partner's goals and aspirations. Mentors typically come from outside their partner's work group. Pairs meet on a regular basis, often supplementing face-to-face meetings with telephone and email support. The Developing Leaders program also includes a yearly conference where all the mentors and partners gather. The Business Development Groups sponsor a women of influence luncheon sessions, provide awards for women of distinction and hold a number of events that typically focus on marketing and networking skills. Contact Information.

• Apple Computers (Cupertino, California)
  This mentoring program provides formal mentoring relationships that include the mentor, partner and the manager of the partner. They focus on a career development assessment for the partner as well as a personal development plan and the partner engages in an applied project based on the partner's developmental needs.

  The goals of their mentoring program are to improve technology transfer, use cross department networking, develop technology skills across the organization and facilitate employee development. The program is supported at all levels and all managers are informed about the program while senior management nominates high-potential employees and they nominate potential mentors. Matches represent considerable diversity with regards to age, gender, and ethnicity. A coordinator provides group orientation regarding focus, roles, cautions, and sample applied projects. An evaluation includes 360-degree assessments, interviews of all parties, and informal feedback. In part the success of the program is based on its alignment with the corporate vision and the support of managers. Contact Information.

• Royal Bank (Canada-wide)
  To attend to diversity goals at the Royal Bank a pilot mentoring process was launched in 1997 and expanded nationally in 1999 using technology to make the process accessible to all employees in any location. Through telephone keypad access (IVR) mentors are able to register on a system with the skills they will volunteer to develop with a partner, while the partner registers on the system indicating the skills they are seeking to develop. Through fax back information and kits to guide the process, mentors and partners are matched and manage their own process together. This is a facilitated process based on transfer of skills from one employee to another. Areas for skill development are identified by the partner to increase their capability to meet the needs of either the business unit they are in, or to increase their skills to compete for future positions of interest. Contact Information.

• Rogers Communications Inc. (Toronto, Ontario)
  This program began in 1999 as a six-month pilot project and was designed for the busy schedules of potential mentors and their partners. The Diversity Team used a team-based combination of mentoring and networking and twenty-five partners and 22 mentors participated. The mentors and partners were formed into five teams. This allowed partners access to alternate mentors if scheduling problems occurred or if the area of interest was outside of a mentor's focus.

  Both partners and mentors participated in workshops as a pre-requisite to the program. The mentors workshop focused on what it means to be a mentor and the various roles that they could play (coach, advisor, networker, nurturer, etc). Mentors were chosen from a variety of different backgrounds, with all of them being directors or vice presidents. The partner's workshop encouraged participants to think about their own learning objectives and how the program could help them achieve these objectives.

  The selection process resulted in cross-functional partner teams being provided with multidisciplinary mentors who could support the partner learning goals. The kick-off event, a wine and cheese meet-and-greet session, was hosted by the President and CEO and provided the partners an opportunity to network with members of the senior management team and the mentors. Each of the partners was provided with a brief resume of each mentor prior to the kick-off event. Partners selected their 1st, 2nd or 3rd choice mentors who could best help them achieve their learning objectives.

  The only rule in the mentoring program was that "Time is Golden". Groups receive a minimum of two hours per month with each of their mentors. The team is responsible for deciding how best to use this time. A survey on the first group of partners found that (1) group versus one-on-one mentoring is a good approach to start, but that some one-on-one time should be expected and encouraged; (2) in order to facilitate relationship-building, more time and effort is required at the beginning of the six-month period; and (3) both mentors and partners found value in the peer and mentoring groups.

  Based on the success of this program at headquarters, the corporation has expanded the program nationally. The year 2000 program already has three teams established in Toronto consisting of15 partners and 9 mentors. Once regional teams have been established they will take ownership of the program and tailor it according to their specific needs. Feedback received from the participants indicated that the program has definitely been worthwhile to both the partners and mentors. Results so far are well aligned with the objectives of the Diversity Action team and are seen as an excellent complement to the corporation's Coaching for Success program. Contact Information.

• Bell Canada (Montreal, Quebec) - Provides an online mentoring program on its intranet for all 45,000 employees called Mentor Match. Employees apply to be a mentor or a partner and if not accepted they are taken to a course on how to be a mentor or a partner. If accepted a partner is matched to a pool of possible mentors and the mentor determines the final selection. Typically the mentoring connection lasts one year and long-distance relationships are possible. Contact.

• The Bank of Nova Scotia (Toronto, Ontario)
  ScotiaBank uses a system where mentors and proteges select each other. The two groups meet each other during a social function and they take responsibility for forming their own partnerships. The goal of their mentoring program is to extend mentoring to all their business areas and allow each area to manage its own program. They also use mentoring to support the retention of aboriginal employees as well as potential leaders. Contact Information.

• CN Rail(program inplace, but information pending)

• Canadian Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) Network (Ottawa, Ontario)
  Developed by and for the automotive industry, this program brings together skilled service technicians and provides them with the knowledge and skill to provide quality training support in the workplace. Courses on coaching and mentoring for service technicians have been established at a series of community colleges, and the number of colleges offering such programs will continue to expand. Contact Information.

• IBM (Markham, Ontario)
  This well-known company has developed several types of mentoring: skills mentoring, where an employee is matched with an expert in a particular subject area to enhance their skills; career mentoring, to help employees plan and develop their careers along desired paths; diversity mentoring, to assist employees encountering new cultures and languages; new hire mentoring, which is an introduction to a new job and the corporation culture; and, certification and re-certification mentoring, to aid employees in qualifying for industry certifications. Each line of business has a mentoring advisor to help match mentors to other employees. There are 24 such advisors in Canada, and another 80 in the U.S. Typical mentoring programs last between three months and a year. The company also offers variations on the program. For example, some mentors work between countries, through primarily on-line interaction. There are also team-mentoring environments, where employees share expertise and skills. Contact Information.

• Platform Computer Corporation (Markham, Ontario)
  This Toronto area company specializes in workload management technology and started a formal mentoring program in 1999 to assist new employees understand company technology. Focusing on engineers the mentor and protege work together for up to three months. Contact Information.

• Canadian Tire (Toronto, Ontario)
  A career development oriented mentoring program supported by contracts between mentor and mentee. Contact Information.

• MDS Laboratory Services (Etobicoke, Ontario).
  Employees, known as 'associates,' are mentored one-on-one and in a learning forum focus by veteran employees known as 'advisors.' Both groups are networked with organization managers and the program is monitored by a 'program manager.' Mentor goals include developing a talent pool, reducing turnover, and accelerating career development. Contact Information.

• Schneider Canada. (Toronto, Ontario)
  A mentoring committee continually searches for and matches mentors with other employees. The primary objective is to provide a resource for personal and career growth for female employees. Contact Information.

• EDS Canada (Toronto, Ontario)
  Mentoring has been initiated as an activity that directly support EDS business and strategic objectives. A leadership team identifies and screens and matches mentors and mentees. The partners as well as their leaders are trained and then the partners create a partnership agreement. The agreement details the number of meetings, the specific roles and responsibilities as well as the developmental objectives of each of the pair. The leadership team monitors the progress of the partnership at various checkpoints and with feedback and coaching, the partnership redefines their interaction. The leadership team also takes responsibility for using a process evaluation. Contact Information.

• PPG Canada Associate Mentor Program(Mississauga, Ontario)
  This mentoring program was established to provide employees with a sense of belonging, an understanding of the organizational culture, a positive start in employment, and an alternative source of information. A mentor bank of eligible employees has been created with input from managers and supervisors. Human Resources coordinates the program and matches new hires with mentors. The pair meet informally usually lasting up to two months. A coordinator meets informally with the mentor and mentee separately. Contact Information.

• Leo Burnett Company, Ltd Professional Development Advisory Program (Toronto, Ontario)
  Created out of employee recognition for more career guidance opportunities, particularly how to deal with the personal aspects of work situations. Advisors are employees who have been in the company three years or more, and all employees with less than three years tenure are assigned an advisor, nominated by the employee. Pairs are provided with guidelines, sample discussion topics, and a feedback model. Contact Information.

• EXOCOM (Ottawa, Ontario; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Toronto, Ontario; and Calgary, Alberta)
  EXOCOM has introduced a mentoring program to assist in several ways: 1) to aid junior employees to develop professionally and to become more quickly and thoroughly integrated in to the company; 2) to assist all employees with their professional development, and career progression at EXOCOM; 3) to provide resources to others to bounce ideas off of and receive some guidance in any aspect of their career ( and in some cases personal lives) to help them identify their goals and reach their full potential; 4) to involve individuals in the company encouraging them to take part in the growth and success of the organization - providing a helping hand to others, building team spirit, building leadership skills and playing a role in the development of their team members and the organization as a whole; and 5) help attract additional recruits and new employees. Contact Information.

• Gerdau MRM Steel Inc. (Selkirk, Manitoba)
  Started in 1988, the mentoring program in this company is geared towards succession development and is both formal and informal. Anyone transferring from another department is connected with a mentor from the new department. At the senior management level, mentoring is provided to MBA students. Contact Information.

• National Leasing Group (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
  New hires are paired with a mentor who assists them in their first few weeks with the company. Contact Information.

• Investors Group Inc. (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
  This organization has created a Management Development Program for Women, where women are connected with executives at a higher level in the organization. The mentors do not receive training and the program is not monitored. They also provide an informal buddy system for new hires and additional informal mentoring occurs throughout the company. Contact Information.

• Vansco Electronics Ltd. (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
  In addition to cooperative and internship programs, this organization provides a mentoring buddy system for new employees. Agreements for this connection can be formal or informal. Typically mentors are selected based on their technical expertise or knowledge of the position being filled by the new hire. Contact Information.

• McCain Foods Limited (Florenceville, New Brunswick)
  This major company has two mentoring programs. The first focuses on an 18-month sharing of information between a mentor, a mentee, and a management representative. Following the initial commitment, the mentor and mentee may continue to meet on an informal basis. The purpose of this program is to reduce the time gap between formal education and productivity. Mentors receive training, coaching and feedback and a set of expectations are outlined in a brochure and video. McCains also provides a community contact mentor program, where staff who are not native to the town in which the company operates are paired with a volunteer from the community to help the new employee make the transition to living in small town. Contact Information.

• Marine Atlantic Inc. (Sidney, Nova Scotia)
  A buddy system exists for people who have been rehired after extensive layoffs. The rehires receive an orientation and informal matching with a buddy. This system has proved valuable as a way of preventing problems with extensive downsizing. Contact Information.

• British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch Mentoring Program (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  A mentoring program to facilitate retention and advancement of current employees, exposure to other areas within the branch, increase morale, commitment and motivation, and increase transferability of skills as well as the development of designated group members. Participants complete an application form, attend a half-day orientation meeting, and agree to schedule at least one or two meetings per month for one to two hours for a one-year period. Each pair completes a contract outlining goals. The program is coordinated by a mentoring coordinator. Contact Information.

• Creo Products, Inc. (Burnaby, British Columbia)
  This high-tech manufacturer for the graphics industry focuses on making its corporate culture nurturing and like a family. One of the strategies to establish this culture is a buddy system, where new employees are connected to a co-worker from their first day of work. The task of the buddy is to assist the new worker to gain a sesne of confidence and informality in the work environment. Creo believes this system increases loyalty to the company, significantly reducing turnover in an industry known for high turnover rates. Contact Information.

• Newfoundland Light & Power Co. Ltd. (St. John's, Newfoundland)
  NLP has an internal mentoring program branching out to all levels. They are interested in involving the community and establishing an external mentor program. Contact Information.

• XWaves Solutions (Ottawa, Toronto, St. John's, Edmonton, Calgary, Dallas, Halifax)
  This organization provides mentoring for new hires. All mentors receive training for 2.5 days and a half-day workshop is provided to mentees as ell. Participants receive a set of guidelines and the mentors and mentees meet together regularily. Mentors and mentees also meet as separate groups and engage in facilitated roundtable discussions. When the program was first started all new hires were required to participate in the mentor pairing, but after 13 weeks, the amount of meeting time is up to the pair to decide. Contact Information.

• Dupont Corporation (Wilmington, Delaware)
  Mentoring is considered a developmental partnership between the mentor and protege. Mentors and proteges develop and alliance and complete a written agreement. While the formal mentoring program was kept at a simple level, considerable effort was made to ensure the strategies developed were congruent with the corporate goals, mission, vision, limitations, and funding. Both mentors and proteges receive training and supervisors are actively involved. Mentors are typically chosen from middle management and scientist ranks and are selected by proteges. A number of topics are discussed, including life and work experiences, career goals, organizational functions and cultures, management and employee perspectives. Outcome evaluation has shown that both mentors and proteges found that greatest positive changes in the areas of pursuit of quality, use of innovation, teamwork, communication, and use of assets. Contact Information.

• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (Washington, D.C.)
  Initiated in 1999 as a way to meet diversity policies, this mentoring program has contributed significantly to morale, increased opportunities for staff, and better recruitment and retention of employees. Both in-person and distance mentoring are available and all matched pairs typically attend a three-day orientation session in Washington, DC. Matching is often done on the basis of placing a person with a mentor that has skills desired by the partner. Contact Information.

• First Data First Hand Mentoring Network (Greenwood Village, Colorado)
  All 27,000 employees are eligible to participate in the Mentoring Network. Mentors and partners attend monthly training sessions and meet regularly to focus on the partners choice of individual effectiveness or leadership effectiveness. Contact Information.

• Ernst and Young, LLP Women's Access Program (New York, New York)
  Created to assist women to gain greater access to senior management positions, this program includes three related structures. First partners are matched for a one on one relationship with a senior manager. This pair then meets with a group of other senior women managers to discuss common concerns. The parnter and senior manager also meet with a group of staff women to discuss career-related concerns.

  Contact: unavailable.

• Accenture Mentoring Program for Women and Minorities (New York, New York)
  This organization provides both formal and informal mentoring programs to help retain and advance women and minority employees. Mentors are paired with female or minority managers outside of their reporting relationships. Contact Information.

• Edward Jones (St. Louis, Missouri)
  All new investment employees are matched with a mentor which means about 3000 volunteers serve as mentors at this company. Training is an essential part of their mentoring program. Job shadowing is included and pairs meet for about one-year. Results of this mentoring have shown that new employees are able to achieve within their first year of employment what it usually takes employees about three years to gain. Contact Information.

• Grubb and Ellis Manager Mentor Program (Denver, Colorado)
  This six-month program is designed to help new managers learn about the culture of the company and assist them to design their own personal and professional development plans. Both the mentors and partners receive training in order to maximize learning opportunities. Contact Information.

• Target Corporation Mentoring Program (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
  This mentoring program includes training for both mentors and their partners. Courses focus on basic mentoring skills for mentors, including listening, visioning, networking and coaching and opportunity skills for partners, including self-assessment, review of barriers and teamwork. Contact Information.

• Hallmark
  Compassionate Connections is a support network in which Hallmarkers who are experiencing special personal situations or significant life events can connect with other supportive co-workers. Those who have undergone a major life event may also volunteer to share their "compassionate expertise" as a mentor. Since this is a privately-held company, gaining insider information may not be possible.

• MSAS Cargo (Burlingame, California)
  MSAS has created a mentoring program as one of a number strategies to impact on the overall development of employees. Mentors are senior and other managers in the organization. They are searching for organizations with expertise in this area to help in structuring an appropriate mentoring system and train our mentors (and perhaps the mentees) in the processes. Contact Information.

• Transamerica Intellitech (Sacramento, California)
  New managers are assigned mentors from a group of senior managers on a voluntary basis after completing a form based on expectations for the mentoring relationship. Meetings take place a minimum of once a month for a period of about one year. Contact Information.

• NASA Ames Career Center (Moffett Field, California)
  A volunteer program for any Center employee. If a mentee does not have a mentor in mind, they receive help with the selection and matching process. The coordinators provide a complete set of assessments to help make the match or to signal any potential problems. Each participant (mentor/mentee) engages in 16 hours of training and quarterly group gatherings for feedback and program corrections. The program was presented at the 1998 International Mentoring Association meeting. Contact Information.

• US Coast Guard Welfare to Work Mentoring Program
  The Coast Guard participates in a program where welfare to work trainees are provided with a mentor. Supervisors were contacted personally and asked to identify a person in that workplace who would be most effective for the trainee to talk with, ask questions of and connect with....in each case they were able to quickly identify someone who would be able to be there for the new employee for the first year. The "mentor" then is introduced to the new employee and gives them the "tour" (which in Coast Guard often includes ships or a short underway. Mentors form a relationship letting the new employee feel comfortable to ask questions and provide the "unwritten rules" of the organization (some people call it the organizational "savvy" needed to succeed in your job). They usually met with them one time per week but the mentee could call them at any time they were having difficulty. A six month-to one year commitment is desired. At the six month mark a discussion occurs about whether or not the employee will benefit from another six months. Both parties give input and contribute to a decision. Initial beliefs about the trainees proved groundless. For instance, the organization believed that welfare recipients, who have been out of the workplace for a long time, would have difficulty getting to work on time or knowing what to wear. For the most part, however, the Coast Guard found them to be people who adapted quickly to the work environment. The program has been very successful and they have retained all but one trainee - and that one went on to an even better job. Along with the initial talk with the supervisor and the person chosen as "mentor", the coordinator was available for questions and assistance. Those mentors who wanted the five day training program were encouraged to apply for it and the Coast Guard website mentoring guidance was there for everyone. Contact Information.

• United States Coast Guard Mentoring Program (Washington, DC)
  The Coast Guard started a mentoring program in 1991 after a leadership study found that mentoring is a major factor in retaining personnel. The program includes a five-day training course and a formal network where volunteers send in applications to be a mentor or requesting a mentor. Personnel at Coast Guard headquarters make the matches according to career field, grade, or expressed request. This type of matching became cumbersome as the program expanded to include everyone in Team Coast Guard and resources and budgets became constrained. While over 1,000 mentoring matches have been made, some requests that have never been filled. To increase the number of successful mentoring matches the Coast Guard created a partnership with all Department of Transportation agencies to develop a One DOT Mentoring Program that is accessible via the Internet and allows matches across organizations. A Coast Guard employee can search for a Coast Guard mentor, but may also expand the search to other agencies. This system expands the number of potential mentors available in the many job series civilians hold. It is also beneficial to active duty, reserve, or auxiliary personnel who wish to form a professional development partnership for the purposes of making a transition to another field. Contact Information.

• Kinney Shoe Corporation (Beaver Springs, Pennsylvania)
  Kinney Shoe Corp.'s human resource department initiated a mentor program that pairs associates in the home office with senior executives. The program was developed as a result of concerns that were raised during Kinney's gender-sensitivity program. Contact Information.

• California University at Pennsylvania AFSCME
  This program was initiated in 1999 through by the AFSCME Union so that any custodian interested in learning clerical skills could be mentored by volunteer clerical staff. Custodians were taught various clerical skills from the mentors in each department. Each custodian must complete at least 20 hours a month and after each month they rotated to the next mentor, so that they were able to be in various settings in the clerical environment on campus. The mentoring program has so far enabled one of the custodians (they must pass a typing test) to obtain a permanent clerical position. Union and management are working together to promote more mentoring programs for all positions in AFSCME at the University. The Union wants to expand the mentoring program to include other maintenance areas such as plumbers, electricians, HVAC and boiler plant operators. The success of the program was dependent on support from the University President, clerical staff interest in the program and custodians interested in learning clerical duties. Contact Information.

• Performance Concepts International, Ltd. (Pittsford, New York)
  PCI consultants act as mentors at both the college and business levels. One senior consultant is currently mentoring a local college student pursuing a degree in organizational development. Another senior consultant is mentoring nuclear reactor operator candidates as they pursue their Senior Reactor Operator License (a one thousand hour, one year program). Contact Information.

• JP Morgan Partners (New York, New York)
  Launched in 1995 this company's mentoring program is available to all employees. Mentoring occurs on a one to one basis and all mentors are evaluated on their mentee's success and progress. Annual awards are given for mentor of the year and at least three days a year all mentors and partners meet as a group to discuss people issues. The mentoring program has resulted in significant reduction in turnover and improved recruiting of top talent. Contact Information.

• Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York, New York)
  MTA created a program to develop its employees called the Future Managers Program (FMP). The mentor program includes a mentor-participant contract that cuts down the gaps in a mentoring relationship. Both parties design and sign a contract stating when and how they will communicate. Contact Information.

• NPD Group (Port Washington, New York)
  Since 1953, NPD provides knowledge on consumer purchasing and behavior to help businesses develop more effective marketing strategies. They have set up a formalized mentor program where employees can choose the individual they think will help them better manage their goals and initiatives. The program has paid off in lowering employee turnover and improving morale. Contact Information.

• Ogilvy and Mather (New York, New York>
  In the creative department of Ogilvy & Mather, an adverstising and marketing firm, mentoring is a continuation of the summer program in which the agency hires a copywriter and art director fresh out of school every summer for three months of full-time employment. Often, the agency hires one or both of the employees after the summer. The creative department pairs relatively new junior employees with more senior employees informally, but not randomly, and a senior person may get more than one junior employee. Contact Information.

• General Electric (Fairfield, Connecticutt)
  All executives are trained to act as mentors so that each division has mentors available for employees, ranging from new hires out of college to division heads. The use of trained mentors to guide other employees has been credited with GE being able to successfully manage the changes required for growth and stability. Contact Information.

• Ford Motor Company (Dearborn, Michigan)
  In operation for about 20 years this mentoring program at Ford is a way to identify and develop talent, help with technical skills, and accept diverse attitudes of both the mentor and the partner. The key to success of their mentoring program is providing skill training for mentors, focusing on top talent, ensuring support characteristics in mentors, making sure the mentoring process is reciprocal, discovering individual strengths, aligning mentoring with other programs, and recognizing mentoring can have an impact on life outside of work. Contact Information.

• National Life (Portland, Oregon)
  A mentor program at an insurance company which focuses on the careers of senior producers and sees the success of recruits as a natural consequence of their mentors' success. The organizer of this mentoring program believes that these kind of results take time and field managers must follow a specific system. Contact Information.

• Telcoe Federal Credit Union (Little Rock, Arkansas)
  Mentors have helped credit union CEOs to observe other skills and techniques and integrate those skills and techniques into their roles at their credit unions. CEOs who mentor their senior managers reap results for themselves and for their employees, and they get to know their employees much better. Contact Information.

• Alaska State Employees Federal Credit Union (Juneau, Alaska)
  Mentors help credit union CEOs observe other skills and techniques and integrate those skills and techniques into their roles at their credit unions. CEOs who mentor their senior managers reap results for themselves and for their employees, and they get to know their employees much better. Contact Information.

• Sara Lee Bakery (Chicago, Illinois; Bramalea, Ontario)
  An informal mentoring program where employees are encouraged to identify potential mentors among executives and to ask their advice about what is needed to improve their career advancement. Contact Information.

• Cigna Financial Advisors Partnership Program (San Antonio, Texas)
  In late 1995 Cigna Financial Advisors completed an intensive field and home office effort to develop a comprehensive strategy for recruiting, training and retaining new agents. Cigna's new hire development strategy resulted in what the company calls its Partnership Program. It requires that all new hires work for a period up to 27 months under the direction of an experienced, successful mentor. Each agency only hires the number of new producers who can be personally trained, supervised, and developed by qualified, experienced producers or sales managers. Mentoring provides new producers with practical hands-on instruction in effective sales solicitation and presentation techniques, helps to increase the activity and sales levels of mentors and delivers a much higher quality service to the customer. Contact Information.

• Risk & Insurance Management Society Inc. (Los Angeles, California)
  The Los Angeles chapter has developed a new mentor program in hopes that it will produce archetypes of risk management quality by matching seasoned professionals with newcomers to the profession. Founders hope the program will be another way of elevating their profession and serve as an example for other chapters. Contact Information.

• CNA Insurance Companies (A Chicago-Based Insurance Organization)
  Assigns mentors to new employees. Mentoring typically takes place by telephone, fax, and e-mail because of the multiple locations and travel requirements. Persons receiving mentoring have expressed a high degree of satisfaction. Contact Information.

• Aetna Casualty (New Jersey)
  As part of a nationwide effort, Aetna has launched an agency mentoring program in urban areas in New Jersey. The program, which has both the company and its existing agents mentoring potential appointees, is designed to give urban agents access to the standard market and Aetna access to the urban minority market. Under the program, urban agents get about 80% of the commission - with the mentor gaining the remainder - and they gain opportunities for profit sharing. Contact Information.

• US Army Tank-Automotive Research Development & Engineering Center (Warren, Michigan)
  A planned mentoring program which stresses mutual benefits for both the mentor and partner. Contact Information.

• Merck and Company, Inc. (West Point, Pennsylvania)
  A mentor training program has been designed for field sales representatives. They spend three days with their mentor to learn the ropes and manage a number of job related tasks. A Mentor Guide contains short activities for mentor and mentee to get to know each other and for the mentor to provide information on the Merck corporate culture and work ways. All mentors are selected by management based on specific criteria and then go through a one-day mentor training program. Contact Information.

• Proctor & Gamble (Cincinnati, Ohio)
  A unique and highly developed mentoring program called Mentor-Up where persons at the lower levels of the business unit act as mentors for person higher up in the business. Originated with the Advancement of Women Taskforce (AWTF) at Proctor & Gamble in 1991 to address retention issues of top performing women in advertising. The program helps male or female managers learn from their mentors (junior women) who are typically 1-2 reporting levels below. Mentoring pairs meet for an orientation that includes perception and self-awareness experiential activities. During the orientation mentors meet as a group and partners meet as a group to discuss common concerns and then all participants meet in large group to share themes. All mentoring pairs create an agreement that details the specifics of meeting length, duration, and other responsibilities. Contact Information.

• Consolidated Natural Gas (Cleveland, Ohio)
  Employees select mentors from within the company primarily for career development opportunities. Contact Information.

• Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company (Columbus, Ohio)
  Each employee is assigned to a designated performance coach. This role, in part, includes mentoring in terms of career development and overall guidance, but most of the coaching centers on skill development and the creation of individualized development plans based on specific projects and work-related performance. Contact Information.

• The Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, Ohio)
  This major newspaper intends to launch a year-long effort in the fall of 1998 aimed at providing a variety of journalism and management training for line editors (the people who supervise reporters) which will likely include a mentoring component. The staff is researching different approaches. Contact Information.

• America West Airlines (Phoenix, Arizona)
  Senior managers act as mentors to other who are in management positions. The focus is on leadership and career development. Matches typically last one year and partners are involved in a variety of learning seminars and events. Contact Information.

• Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
  The mentoring program is a formal, structured program initially put into place for managers and now available to all 7500 staff. The purpose of the program is to enhance career development, improve responsiveness to change, and strengthen response to customer needs. Employees wishing to participate as mentors or mentees attend an orientation and complete a self-assessment. The HR department matches pairs, but individuals can suggest a person with whom to work. Partners then arrange a meeting, complete an agreement that defines objectives, sets goals, and details roles. Contact Information.

• Los Alamos National Laboratory Mentoring Program (Los Alamos, New Mexico)
  This program builds on traditional, unstructured mentoring by focusing on learning partnerships, providing cross-divisional mentoring, sponsoring learning events and discussions, and troubleshooting for obstacles to successful mentoring. Mentors and partners are paired in one of two ways: self-selection and nominations and pairing based on data gathered from an expertise and need form. Regular communication is encouraged with a minimum of 1-2 meetings per month, often over lunch. It is expected that the mentoring will take place over a one-year period and pairs are free to extend their time beyond this more formal period. Contact Information.

• Merck and Company, Inc. (Whitehouse, New Jersey)
  A mentor training program was implemented for field sales representatives. Basically, they spend three days with their mentor to learn the ropes, learn how to pack their cars, arrange their home offices, get feedback on sales calls, etc. A Mentor Guide contains short activities for mentor and mentee to get to know each other and for the mentor to provide information on the Merck culture and work ways. All mentors are selected by management based on specific criteria and then go through a one-day mentor training program. Contact Information.

• Churchs Chicken (Atlanta, Georgia)
  Churchs wants to make sure that as many as possible of its new franchisees are women. In May, 1999 Churchs launched its Professional Mentoring Program during the annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago. The yearlong effort pairs less-experienced business people with those with more experience, who provide help in dealing with the rigors of starting a new business. The program not only will enable more women to enter franchising, but provide women who have created wealth of their own ... to diversify their portfolios and create wealth for other women. Contact Information.

• Companies that Report Mentoring Programs (but details not yet available):

  Advanced Micro Devices (Sunnyvale, California)
  AFLAC (Columbus, Georgia)
  Allstate Insurance Company (Northbrook, Illinois)
  Alltel (Little Rock, Arkansas)
  Arrow Electronices (Melville, New York)
  Aspect Communications (San Jose, California)
  Baldor Electric Company (Fort Smith, Arkansas)
  Bank of Montreal (Toronto, Ontario)
  Bank One (Chicago, Illinois)
  Behlen Manufacturing Company (Columbus, Nebraska)
  The Boeing Corporation (Florissant, Missouri)
  Best Buy (Eden Prairie, Minnesota)
  Booxe, Allen and Hamilton (McLean, Virginia)
  Boston Scientific (Natick, Massachusetts)
  Bowater Coated and Speciality Papers (Catawba, South Carolina)
  Callaway Golf Company (Carlsbad, California)
  Capital One Financial Corporation (Falls Church, Virginia)
  Catepillar Financial Products (Nashville, Tennessee)
  CDW Computer Centers (Vernon Hills, Illinois)
  Century 21 Real Estate Corporation (Parsippany, New Jersey)
  Computer Associates (Islandia, New York)
  Continental Airlines (Houston, Texas)
  Cross Country (Boca Raton, Florida)
  Divine Tower International Corporation (Columbus, Ohio)
  A.G. Edwards and Sons (St. Louis, Missouri)
  J.D. Edwards (Denver, Colorado)
  Equity Residential (Plano, Texas)
  Federated Department Stores (Cincinnati, Ohio)
  FedEx Express (Memphis, Tennessee)
  First Union-Wachovia Corporation (Charlotte, North Carolina)
  Footstar (Mahwah, New Jersey)
  Franklin Templeton (St. Petersburg, Florida)
  Golin/Harris International (Chicago, Illinois)
  Honeywell Aerospace (Redmond, Washington)
  Household International (Prospect Heights, Illinois)
  Ho-Chunk Casino (Baraboo, Wisconsin)
  Ingram Micro (Williamsville, New York)
  KLA-Tencor Corporation (San Jose, California)
  NCR Corporation (El Segundo, California)
  Neil Huffman Auto Group (Louisville, Kentucky)
  Lane Gorman Trubitt (Dallas, Texas)
  Naval Undersea Warfare Center (Newport, Rhode Island)
  Morrison Management Specialists (Atlanta, Georgia)
  Neumann Homes (Warrenville, Illinois)
  Northwest Airlines (St. Paul, Minnesota)
  Oakwood Worldwide (Los Angeles, California)
  Ohio Savings Bank (Cleveland, Ohio)
  Orion Refining Corporation (Norco, Louisiana)
  Paychex (Rochester, New York)
  Pfizer, Incorporated (New York, New York)
  Plant and Moran (Southfield, Michigan)
  PwC Consulting (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  Qualcomm (San Diego, California)
  Scientific Atlanta (Lawrenceville, Georgia)
  Space Systems/Loral (Palo Alto, California)
  Special People in the Northeast (Philadelphia)
  SSC Soft Computer (Palm Harbor, Florida)
  Storage USA (Memphis, Tennessee)
  Strong Capital Management (Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin)
  STS Systems (Pointe Claire, Quebec)
  Synovus Financial Corporation (Columbus, Georgia)
  TD Industries (Dallas, Texas)
  United Airlines (Elk Grove Village, Illinois)
  United Services Automobile Association (San Antonio, Texas)
  John Weiland Homes and Neighborhoods (Atlanta, Georgia)
  Wells Fargo Home Equity (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
  White Lodging Services Corporation (Merrillville, Indiana)
  

MENTOR PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON DISABLED, MINORITIES, WOMEN'S ISSUES, ETHNIC, FOSTER CARE, PRISONERS, PREGNANT OR PARENTING TEENS, AND OTHER SPECIAL NEEDS

• Bridges for Women Society(Victoria, British Columbia)
  This organization provides one-on-one matches between women working in Victoria, BC with students or graduates of their employability program. The focus is on developing and maintaining a career path, connecting participants to professional networks, providing feedback on job search techniques, and providing encouragement. Mentors typically commit to a six-month match with a minimum of two-to-three hours of face-to-face meetings each month. Contact Information.

• Foster Parent Mentoring (Calgary, Alberta)
  In this program experienced foster parents provide knowledge and support to other foster parents to ensure the best outcomes for children and families. They use their foster parent expertise to help other families the problems, crises, community connections, day-to-day problem solving; and navigating the foster parent system. The foster parent mentor talks on the phone at least once a week to the mentored family and has a face-to-face meeting once per month. In addition the foster parent mentor will accompany the foster parent family member to a function held by the foster parent association. Mentors provide reports to the foster parent program coordinator. A wide-range of conversation topics are detailed for the mentors as well as specific support on giving feedback, helping with disappointing experiences, and steps for giving advice when it is unsolicited. A series of forms, only available to program mentors, help to guide periodic review and reflection to improve and strengthen the mentoring relationship. Contact Information.

• The Mentor Parent Program Inc. (Pittsfield, Pennsylvania)
  A community-based program created in 1989 to provide support and assistance to parents of children with special needs. In addition to other services, this organization provides one-on-one mentoring with mentors also being parents of children with special needs. Contact Information.

• Best Buddies Canada(Canada)
  This is a non-profit friendship program that pairs people with intellectual disabilities and students. Chapters of Best Buddies are created in public and private high schools, universities and colleges across Canada where students are matched into Buddy Pairs. Each chapter is managed by a student volunteer. Pairs typically talk or email weekly and meet in person at least twice a month. The program is run through donations, and Best Buddies hopes to have 500 chapters in place by 2010. As of 2009 there are 175 chapters in Canada. Contact Information.

• Eva's Phoenix(Toronto, Ontario)
  This organization works with homeless and at-risk youth ages 16 to 24 to help them off the streets permanently. They operate shelters, emergency and transitional housing, harm reduction services, counselling, employment and training programs, housing support and services to reconnect youth with families, and three types of mentoring programs. Their programs include project-based mentorship (a professional from an industry works with a youth in the program); peer mentorship (graduates of the program work with current users of the services); and the one-to-one mentorship program (adults matched with youth depending interests and needs). Training is provided that focuses on goal-setting, communication, issues of youth homelessness and unemployment, mental health, substance use, and immigration. Mentors commit to the relationship for a minimum of six months, meet weekly with their youth partners. Contact Information.

• Gunnison Country Partners(Gunnison, Colorado)
  The mission of Gunnison Country Partners is to promote the healthy growth of young people through one-to-one mentoring and other support services. Partners matches volunteer mentors with referred youth into positive, caring relationships to delay or reduce the onset of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, help youth succeed in school, reduce juvenile delinquency. Partnerships are created through a comprehensive recruitment, screening and training process of mentors, and referral and interview process of mentees and their families. Mentors must complete an application, four references, an in-depth personal interview, FBI fingerprint background check, National Criminal Background check, Colorado Bureau of Investigation Background check, county court records check and a drivers record check, complete a pre-match training, then be accepted into the program. Matches are based upon personal interests of both mentors and mentees, and youth needs. Mentors must commit to ongoing training sessions offered four times every year. The program is a registered 501(c)3, with an appointed volunteer Board of Directors, an Executive Director and professional Case Managers assigned to each mentoring match. To determine their effectiveness, Partners uses a pre-post test protocol to assess outcomes in eight areas: Self-concept/self-esteem, Adult bonding, School bonding, School performance, Individual delinquency, Attitudes toward ATOD use, Perceptions toward youth violence, and actual self-reported ATOD use. Results collected from 2002-2007 indicate positive change in all eight scales for youth who have been matched with their mentor for one year. There are no fees charged by this private, non-profit organization that also provides free out-of-school time programs for youth ages 7 to 14. Contact Information.

• <Mental Health Association Project Together (Orange County, California)
  This mentor program matches mentors with youth receiving mental health treatment services from the County of Orange Health Care Agency Children & Youth Services (CYS) and its contract agencies. Mentors work to develop a nurturing, trusting one-on-one relationship with a child/teen. Mentors are interviewed, screened and trained. If they have passed all screening, they will be matched with a child based on gender, age, area and interests. Mentors are trained on policies and procedures, code of ethics, how to build a relationship with their partners, listening skills, boundaries, ideas for outings, the matching procedure and what to do or say in difficult and emergency situations. The program is contracted under the Mental Health Act and is overseen by the Mental Health Association. Matches between mentor and partner are made by the mentor coordinator and program director. Currently the program has over 40 matches, and they have recently jumpstarted a TAY (transitional age youth, ages 16-25) and Parent Mentor program. Mentors are reimbursed for mileage, and receive food and entertainment gift certificates to help the mentor with his/her outings. Monthly mentor/partner events and quarterly support groups are held for active mentors. Contact Information.

• MentorKidsUSA (Scottsdale, Arizona)
  A faith-based organization established in 1997 that serves at-risk youth between the ages of 5-18 who have an incarcerated parent, come from a single-parent household, have drug and alcohol problems, have been physically or sexually abused, have significant school problems, or live in poverty. Funded by individual donations and churches. Mentors are caring Christians, and there is no requirement to be involved with religious activities. Contact Information.

• The Native Youth Centre (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  This organization provides 19 programs for native young people. Their mentorship program connects Native youth to volunteer mentors in the community. The overall goals are to provide Native youth with positive social, educational, cultural, sports and recreation mentorship opportunities and to help empower Native youth to make positive change in their lives by offering them the support and resources needed to do so. The Centre also provides a Tutor/Mentor program where Native post-secondary students are contracted to provide one to one tutoring to Native youth students. Contact Information.

• Essence Cares (Urban Areas in the USA)
  This is a national mentoring movement in the USA that connects individuals seeking mentors or those wanting to be mentors with mentoring resources in their local community. Their mentoring focus is on at-risk Black youngsters and improving literacy, strengthening academics, and promoting safe and responsible activities. They have partnered with many other well-known organizations and have developed local Community Care Circles in urban areas in the US. Contact Information.

• Humewood House Association (Toronto, Ontario)
  The mission of this non-profit organization is to provide a safe and caring environment for young, pregnant and parenting women (aged 13-21) and their children through services, life skills training, child care, mentoring, education and counselling delivered by a well trained and dedicated staff. One-on-one mentoring is provided for women who are over 22 years, have completed the application, interview, references and vigorous training program. These women are matched by a coordinator individually with a young mother who either resides in the house or is one of their community clients. Mentors receive three sessions of training dealing with: background of Humewood House, complete review of a 30-page manual, policies and procedures, confidentiality, duty to report, the role of the mentor, guidelines for the mentor, understanding the pregnant and parenting teen, issues facing teen parents, coping with the changes of a pregnant teen as mentor, pre and post natal health, labour and birth, infant nutrition and development, bonding, attachment, and healthy living habits. Mentors help their young mother 4-6 hours per week for a period 1 year to 18 months. The match typically lasts until the baby is approximately six months old, but can be extended should the need arise. Both parties agree at the onset that Humewood House will manage the Match up until closure, then an agreement is signed if the match wishes to continue the relationship as friends. No fees are charged. Contact Information.

• Pacific Community Resources Steps Forward Mentoring Program (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  Volunteer mentors, aged 19 or older, spend 3-5 hours per week building supportive relationships on a one-to-one basis with youth between the ages of 13 to 18. Youth have been referred by the Ministry of Children and Families and are voluntary participants. Mentors receive training in communication skills, advocacy, confidentiality, reporting of child abuse, and the role of a mentor. A program coordinator supervises the mentors. Contact Information.

• PLEA KidStart Mentoring Program (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  Volunteers (age 19 or older) work one-to-one with youth aged 12-17 who are on probation or diversion and children 6-12 years old who are at-risk. The volunteers are thoroughly screened; matches typically last a year; and all volunteers are closely supervised by a Coordinator. Volunteers are expected to spend about three hours per week with their younger partners. The focus of each match is on developing a positive relationship with an emphasis on "doing" activities. Contact Information.

• Recovery Mentor Programs (Portland, Oregon)
  Started in 1999, this program uses people who are in recovery from addiction disorders to work with newly sober individuals in accessing supports to maintain recovery. The program has grown from three mentors to 20 working in four Oregon counties. An independent evaluation of the program showed that mentors working with recovering heroin addicts increased the overall rate of enrollment in outpatient treatment by 96.4%. Mentored clients engaged in outpatient treatment at much higher rate than non-mentored, and completed treatment at a rate of three times the non-mentored group. Mentors now work with families, people released from corrections facilities and those with serious co-occurring disorders. Mentors are also recruited and trained to work with diverse populations including Hispanics, Native Americans, African Americans and sexual minorities. Contact Information.

• WriteGirl (Los Angeles, California)
  This organization was launched in December 2001 to bring together professional women writers (novelists, songwriters, poets, screenwriters, editors, and others) to act as mentors to teenage girls who do not otherwise have access to creative writing or mentoring programs. Girls participate from 16 schools in the central Los Angeles region. Volunteers and mentors receive extensive training, and come from all over the city to meet with their mentees and attend the monthly workshops. WriteGirlÕs leadership includes 20 volunteer staff members, a diverse advisory board of community leaders, educators and business executives, and a growing system of strong strategic partnerships. WriteGirl is a project of Community Partners, a nonprofit organization. Contact Information.

• Whitelion (Parkville, Australia)
  This not-for-profit mentoring service was co-founded by Glenn Manton a former AFL footballer. The organization provides a number of mentoring programs for at-risk young people involved with the juvenile justice or out-of-home care systems. Mentors attend two training evenings, participate in an interview, undergo a police and reference check, and are then able to participate in group activities with young people before they are matched or form a connection with an individual young person of the same gender. Contact Information.

• R.O.S.E. Mentor (Bakersfield, California)
  Realizing Options for Student Success (R.O.S.E.) pairs female students in the Bakersfield area with successful business women. The service has been created by Options Unlimited of the Bakersfield Women's Business Conference. Originally designed to help young women in the workplace, the program has been expanded to include younger women ready to enter the workforce. Young women in their junor and senior years in high school are selected by school counsellors based on potential to benefit from mentoring. The students participate in a number of evening seminars with their mentors and receive a scholarship to attend the Women's Business Conference which typically includes high profile women. Contact Information.

• Moms and Mentors (Victoria, British Columbia)
  This organization provides mentoring support to assist single moms through some of the tougher periods of new parenting. The program is run through the Single Parent Resource Centre in coordination with Big Brothers and Big Sisters as well as the Parent Support Services Society of British Columbia. Mentors dedicate four hours per week to working with their mom partner and one afternoon a month for ongoing training and development. Contact Information.

• Mothers Offering Mentorship and Support (MOMS) (New Brunswick & Alberta)
  Over 20 mothers have been recruited and trained as peer mentors to provide a 12-week home-based peer support intervention to test the impact of peer support on maternal-infant interaction quality, infant development and diurnal cortisol levels in infants and mothers. Home-based peer support is expected to (a) improve infantsÕ cognitive development, (b) improve infantsÕ social development, (c) reduce salivary cortisol levels in infants and mothers, (d) reduce maternal depressive symptomatology, and (e) improve maternal perceptions of social support. Preliminary results indicated positive early trends. Mothers who received the intervention, for example, provided significantly more cognitive growth fostering opportunities to their infants such as talking singing, and vividly describing objects and events. Contact Information.

• Partners for Youth with Disabilities Mentor Match Program (Boston, Massachusetts)
  This organization, founded in 1985, provides a face-to-face mentoring program, a one-to-one online mentoring program, and an online group mentoring program for youth with disabilities. In the in-person program mentors and partners agree to a one-year commitment and meet at least once in-person each month with phone contact once per week. For the online one-on-one, mentor and partner meet in-person at least 3-4 times per year and 1-2 times per week online. All youth are interviewed to understand their interests and needs prior to being matched; all adult mentors undergo a thorough screening process. The youth ages served are from 6-24. The organization's website includes details for both mentors and partners regarding program structure, do's and don'ts, safety, getting started, getting to know one another, having fun, setting and reaching goals, and closure. In addition online training sessions are available for mentors on helping a partner develop independent living skills, improve his or her motivation and self-esteem, relationships, become more involved in he community, and helping a parnter with education and employment. Contact Information.

• VIP Mentors (San Francisco, California)
  A mentoring organization that provides mentors to parolees when they leave prison and return to the community. Founded in 1972 with a grant from the American Bar Association and is now active in 13 counties throughout California. It pairs parolees with lawyers who volunteer to serve as mentors. The purpose of this mentoring program is to help parolees build a better future for themselves, which in turn leads to better and safer communities. Mentors serve as "guides, advisors, friends and role models for parolees as they struggle to turn their lives around." Mentors do not provide legal representation or money to parolees. VIP Mentors says that parolees in its program "consistently attain success rates of more than 70%, measured in terms of living crime-free, meeting educational goals, stable jobs and improved family relationships." And while on average, 41% of California parolees violate their parole and return to custody within a year, only 6% of the parolees with VIP mentors were re-incarcerated last year. Contact Information.

• Girls Incorporated of Durham (Ajax, Ontario)
  Formerly the Big Sisters Association of Ajax-Pickering, this organization provides mentoring to girls 6 - 16 years of age, as well as to pregnant teens and young mothers. They also offer after school and group programs to girls in Durham Region. Girls are matched with a carefully screened female mentor 21 years or older for support, guidance and friendship. They also host abuse prevention workshops, group activities, special events, and teen work shops on issues of special interest to girls. Mentors are required to undergo an extensive screening process which includes completion of an application, four reference checks - including a medical reference; an in-office and in-home interview. Acceptance is at the discretion of the Program. Police checks for self and anyone in the household 18 years of age or older are also required. The girls and families participate in an in-take process which includes completion of an application form; teacher's questionnaire; medical questionnaire; and a two part in-home interview (part 1 with girl; part 2 with parent/guardian). Referrals for girls and families are primarily received from teachers. Mentors are required to attend an orientation/training session prior to being matched. Three to four training sessions are held throughout the year. Volunteers are asked to commit to a minimum of four hours per week for 12 months. Currently the average match length is 4.5 years. The program is managed by one full-time and one part-time coordinator. No fees are charged for any of the programs. Workshops and seminars are currently held for membership only at no/low charge. All programs are based on promoting the "Girls' Bill of Rights" which states: "I have the right to be myself and to resist gender stereotypes; to express myself with originality and enthusiasm; to take risks, to strive freely, and to take pride in success; to accept and appreciate my body; to have confidence in myself and to be safe in the world; to prepare for interesting work and economic independence. Contact Information.

• Kiwanis House Moms and Mentors Program (Victoria, British Columbia)
  This organization focuses on life skills and housing for young women ages 15-25 who are parenting one child aged five or younger. They provide furnished suites, recreational opportunities, information, volunteer support, child miniding and baby gear donated by the community. In addition they connect members of the local community, especially women of all ages and backgrounds, with young parents as mentors in order to provide friendship and support. Contact Information.

• Dr. J. Alfred Smith Training Academy (Oakland, California)
  This organization provides one-on-one and group mentoring to formerly incarcerated individuals between the ages of 18-34. Participants must have been released from jail or prison within 90 days of enrollment into the program. Mentors and partners meet for a period of one year, and are matched according to interest. Partners also receive 26 weeks of training in the Getting it Right curriculum. The mentors receive eight hours of training. The program is coordinated by mail and phone. In the last three years, they have only had four participant's re-offend in three years. There are no fees. The Academy also holds seminars and trainings for prisoner re-entry programs, and they offer pre-apprentice Construction and Computer automation courses to ex-offenders. Contact Information.

• Orphan Foundation of America Mentor Program (Reston, Virginia)
  This organization provides screened and trained mentors for young adults aging out of foster care. Current and former foster youth ages 18-23 who receive post secondary funding from the Foundation or who are in an independent living program that partners with the Foundation are matched with vMentors based on their stated needs, including professional and extracurricular interests. vMentors make a two-year commitment to email their mentees on a weekly basis. All mentoring is done online using a secure portal, and all communication is monitored to ensure participant safety. Contact Information.

• Powerhouse (Portland, Oregon)
  This program is a collaborative partnership of public, private, and faith-based organizations that provide funding, services, and links to other potential partners in the local community. Powerhouse provides foster youth with housing solutions, community support networks, including mentoring, education and health services, and other components essential to successfully transitioning to independent living. A Youth Advisory Committee provides guidance with program and policy development. There is an Independent Living Program that offers foster youth classes on basic independent living skills, social skills, obtaining financial aid for college, and guidance for employment and career development. Adult volunteers serve as mentors, trainers, and resource persons and provide a strong, supportive community links. Volunteers commit 8 to 10 hours per month for at least one year. After screening, Powerhouse volunteers receive initial orientation and ongoing training and support in the areas of communication, foster parenting, mentoring, and program policies and procedures. Volunteers are matched with a young adult for mentoring based on similar interests, skills, and needs. Contact Information.

• Administration for Children's Services (ACS) Foster Care Mentoring Action Plan (New York, New York)
  This program provides support to existing mentoring programs with recruitment and training, identifies best practices for mentoring programs serving youth in foster care, creates additional mentoring programs for youth in high-need areas, and acts as a catalyst for the education of New York residents with regards to mentoring. By the year 2007 they hope to have made at least 1800 successful matches. Contact Information.

• Adoption and Foster Care Mentoring (AFC) (Boston, Massachusetts)
  A mentoring program for foster youth and others from out-of-home care, who are between 7 and 14 years old. Mentors work one-to-one and are typically adults with personal experiences in out-of-home care, but other adult mentors are included without that type of experience. Matches have a strong retention rate and typically last more than a year, despite mobility of the youth. Support for the match includes both the mentee's social worker and the mentee's guardian.You who move beyond the area to which a mentor could regularly travel, maintain contact phone, mail and e-mail. Contact Information.

• Sherpa Mothers Mentoring Program (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
  This volunteer program offers women with children over the age of one an opportunity to be trained and matched as a mentor to a woman in the community who is pregnant or has a child under the age of one. The mentor acts as a guide and resource to the new or expecting mother. Volunteer mentors provide friendship, support and education on the issues of pregnancy, breastfeeding, postpartum emotional adjustments, infant attachment, interpersonal communication skills, parenting, and community resource information. The projects goals are: (1) to identify, train and support mothers who are natural helpers living in these communities and enable them to share their experience, skills and knowledge in a supportive role as mentors for new mothers; (2) to provide training to the mentors in areas such as breastfeeding, postpartum emotional adjustments, infant attachment, interpersonal communication skills and community resource information; (3) to provide pregnant and new mothers with access to peers to whom they can turn to for information, validation and support; (4) to counteract the isolation that many new mothers face and to link them more effectively to community resources; (5) to provide ongoing support and education to mothers in these communities with pre-school children over the age of one around the topics of nutrition, child development and other parenting skills, through a bi-weekly group session (one group for all three areas); and (6) to work with the mentors and other partners in these communities to develop community resources sensitive to the needs of new parents. Mentors are matched through an application matching system identifying interests, number of children, need and willingness to participate. Mentors receive a minimum of 15 hours of training over a seven week period. Attendance is required at each session. The training will includes: Mentor Orientation: Program Policies and Practices, Roles and Responsibilities, The Cllient-Centred Approach, Skill Development in goal setting, problem solving, communication, building self-esteem, setting boundaries, relationship building, developing trust, assessment and safety planning, Non-judgemental support, Relationship Management, and Community Resources. The program is run within a community health clinic/agency and has access to support, however, one person does the coordinating, matching, training and supervising of volunteers and mother matches. Contact Information.

• We Stand for Kids (Anderson, South Carolina)
  This program strives to break the generational cycle of incarceration through direct intervention in the lives of the children of offenders and their caregivers through a mentoring program (Family Advocates).ÊMentoring is nested in a ÒFive Circles of SupportÓ program that assists the children and the individuals involved in raising the child to achieve a higher quality of life through (1) Youth Intervention and Prevention Programs; (2) Caregiver Support Programs; (3) Community Partnership Programs; (4) Programs for Incarcerated Parents; and (5) Offender Out-Bound Programs. Contact Information.

• Aftercare for Indiana through Mentoring (Indianapolis, Indiana)
  A mentoring program where juveniles in detention centers are matched with adult mentors. The primary goal for this program is to reduce the recidivism rate of junvenile offenders. Contact Information.

• Journey Youth Mentoring Program (Grand Haven, Michigan)
  A youth mentoring program established to cut down on offenses of delinquent youth, aged 8-17. The program is a a collaborative effort between a university extension division and the county family court. Volunteers must be 18 and over and are screened and trained to mentor youth referred to the program by their probation officers or court counsellors. Since the program is voluntary, those youth interested in having a mentor are matched with a mentor and they meet for a minimum of two hours per week for a minimum of a year. Screening includes a complete application, background check, an interview, references and willingness to participate in training. Mentoring is strongly activity-based, but mentors do not pay for partner expenses. In 2003, 53 percent of Journey youth did not commit any further offenses after being matched with a mentor. Eighty-three percent decreased the frequency of offenses during their match. Seventy-six percent of Journey youth decreased the severity of their offenses. Sixty-six percent of Journey youth that were referred by the court and matched with a mentor no longer have an open court case. Partners report high levels of improvement in most of the 40 developmental assets. Contact Information.

• The Minerva Foundation Helping Women Work Mentor/Protege Program (Vancouver, British Columbia) - This program is for women who are between 35 and 55 years old; have post secondary education, college diploma or university degree, have had professional training and/or a professional designation, have worked in the labour market for at least 5 years with a track record of employment, have proficient English language skills; have been out of the workforce and/or unable to re-enter using their original training due to gaps in childrearing/ workforce re-entry, immigration, cross-country moves, recent divorce and/or death of spouse, or other life circumstances; and have present/upcoming financial difficulties and need to earn an income within the next 6 to 12months. Contact Information.

• Children's Home Society Parent-to-Parent Mentoring Program (Seattle, Washington)
  This organization provides several programs for parents, including peer support and three models of parent-to-parent mentoring. Parents under 21 can receive home visits from a volunteer parent mentor and attend support groups with other young parents. Another model matches trained volunteers with at-risk families, where the parent mentors provide tangible services such as transportation, parent education, or assisance dealing with community resources. A third model emphasizes parents as teachers where parents receive information about their child's social, emotional, intellectual, language, and motor development. In this model the parents meet regularily with a certified parent educator. Contact Information.

• People Helping People (Salt Lake City, Utah)
  This is an employment mentoring organization that uses volunteer women professionals and life skills coaches to mentor low-income single mothers and assist them to transition into successful long-term jobs. Since 1993, the program has provided direct services to more than 1,600 women and outreach to thousands more, with the help of over 1,000 volunteers in the community. Contact Information.

• Achievement Advocate Online Mentoring Program (Salt Lake City, Utah)
  This program operates in a juvenile prison and has been in operation since 1992. The mentoring takes place online and the youth are allowed online twice a week to communicate with their mentor. Many the pairs have met face to face following the release of the youth. The decision for this in-person meeting is up to the mentor. The mentors help the youth construct goals and talk about feelings and issues that may not come out in other face to face group or therapy sessions. Contact Information.

• Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration (JRA) Mentoring Program (Everett, Washington)
  This Washington state agency has developed mentor programs for incarcerated youth. Eligible JRA youth are matched with a same gender adult 4-6 months prior to transitioning from a state institution. The mentor and youth make a one-year commitment, and the youth voluntarily participates in the program. Mentor program coordinators and counsellors provide initial and ongoing mentor training and support. Research reports are available at (Peer Resources Network members only access). Contact Information.

• AIM/Indiana Mentor Corps (Indiana, USA)
  Called AIM (Aftercare for Indiana through Mentoring) and initiated in 1996 this program works with incarcerated juveniles in the state of Indiana. Work with the juveniles begins in the correctional facilities and relationship continues when they return home. The recidivism rate of the juveniles in this program is reported as significantly lower than those that don't participate. Our program started in 1996. Contact Information.

• Washington State Juvenile Correction Facility Mentoring Program (Tacoma, Washington)
  The primary goal of this mentoring program is to provide adults in the lives of young people in the juvenile justice system. The program matches adults from the communty with youth currently serving time in a state juvenile correctional facility. Mentors are asked to meet with their youth once a month face-to-face and to call weekly while their partner is at the instuition. Once the youth is released, the mentor is expected to meet with their mentee weekly. A prospective mentor attends an eight-hour training, completes a volunteer packette and undergoes a state patrol background check prior to being matched. Mentors must attend a monthly two-hour seminar. The role of the mentor is a trusted guide, coach and friend who assists and encourages youth to fulfill goals they have set in areas such as education, vocation, and drug/alcohol-free lifestyle. Youth must request a mentor and have between four and six months left on their sentence. Mentors must do two things: make a connection with youth and convey the message that they are worth their time. Both mentors and mentees undergo a screening about likes and dislikes. Both must request a match. Each pair is allowed to meet the first time befor the match is made and to make a decision if they think this match will work. Mentees are given a two to three hour orientation on what the expectations are for them in the match. The program is managed by a full-time staff and a half time staff. The Coordinator (fulltime staff) is responsible for all aspects of the program. The counselors' duties include recruiting (both mentors and mentees), monitoring of the matches on the street which includes some non-standard hours to meet with mentors and mentees. A small study was conducted by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy on the Seattle mentoring program which indicated that a reduction of 34 percent in recidivism was accomplished. A larger study is planned for Spring, 2004. No fees are charged and mentors are provided support if needed such as a state vehicle, phone card and food at all fuctions. Contact Information.

• Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  Designed to help rural western Canadians with disabilities gain easier access to business training and development; mentoring and one-on-one counselling services; and, financial assistance in their pursuit of self-employment and entrepreneurship. Contact Information.

• US Dream Academy (Columbia, Maryland)
  This non-profit organization provides mentors for children at risk and children whose parents are in prison. With more than 2.2 million children age 17 years or younger in the US who have a parent in prison, it is essential to provide a way to break the cycle and prevent these children from also becoming incarcerated. This organization provides responsible, safe, caring adults as mentors and focuses on academic, social and values enrichment through supportive mentoring and the use of technology. Learning Centers are currently in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Georgia, Texas, and the District of Columbia. Contact.

• Connecting to Success (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
  The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET), headquartered at the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota has created Connecting to Success (CTS), an e-mentoring project for youth with disabilities. They provide a empirically developed Training Manual (available for download or for purchase through the Web site), and interested individuals or groups are welcome to use their resources for: (1) establishing a new e-mentoring programs; (2) allowing existing programs to integrate youth with disabilities; (3) developing funding resources; and (4) formulating strategies for schools and youth organizations to initiate or strengthen partnerships with local businesses. NCSET staff members are available to give technical assistance to interested groups. Contact.

• British Columbia Institute of Technology Protege Program
  This program is part of an overall approach to promote growth in British Columbia and Canadian medical product industries. The program, called Protege, provides mentors for disabled post secondary students who have designed devices to assist other disabled persons. The program helps the students with creation, design and marketing. This newspaper article focuses on wheelchair designed for off-road use. Contact Information.

• United Native Nations (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  A provincial organization that supports off-reserve Aboriginals. Sixty per cent of these are under 25 and require particular support and resources. Youth are involved in their organization as volunteers and in their gatherings with elders. They receive career counseling, job search assistance, and life skills training. Mentoring is naturally a part of all their activities. Native youth require a specific type of support, different than the general population. The ratio of 60% under 25 is much higher than in the general population, and there is not sufficient adult support and input for them. Contact Information.

• YWCA Mentorship Program (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  Since 1992, this program has found mentors for 200 young women, age 16-18. The program goals are to match young women with a diverse range of working women, to help students make the transition from school to career, resulting in students making better career choices. Mentors are recruited through the YWCA newsletter, from the local Women's Business Network, professional conferences and word of mouth. Students are recruited from several local high schools, and are matched with mentors on the basis of their career interests. The program runs from November to May, and partners are expected to meet four times, at least 2 hours each meeting. Many choose to continue the relationship for a longer period of time. The program coordinator contacts mentors every six weeks to check on progress and satisfaction with the program. Most mentors continue with the program year after year. Evaluations by students and mentors are positive. The program is considered very successful and reports a lasting effect on the students. Contact Information.

• Youth Mentors of Opaskwayak Cree Nation
  These peer mentors, ages 18-24, are Aboriginal and all high school graduates. They take Youth Mentor Training on their reserve. The goal of the training is to enable them to act as youth counsellors for the newly built Youth Wilderness Camp. Some of the year-round classes being taught are: traditional sprirituality/medicines/foods, cree language, leadership, coaching, personal growth, counselling, and mentoring.

• Nova Scotia Association for Community Living (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia)
  This Association provides services for disabled people. They have a program working with teens, able and disabled, whose aim is to educate junior and senior high students to be more accepting of disabled youth. This is a committee of young people with adult support. The teens go into the schools (peer mentoring model) to educate other teens about disabilities. Contact Information.

• York University Learning Disabilities Programme (Toronto, Ontario)
  Entering students with learning disabilities are paired with experienced students who also have learning disabilities and have received training as mentors. Contact Information.

• YMCA of Greater Toronto Innovations in Mentorship (Toronto, Ontario)
  Supported by funding from Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), the YMCA has created a series of youth internship programs. The YMCA completes screening, matching, and training for both youth and their mentors and the youth engage in work preparation activities prior to being placed in their intern position. Mentors also receive on-going support from the YMCA staff. The YMCA also provides an evaluation of the success of the program.

  In addition the YMCA provides a Black Achievers Mentor program where the emphasis is on providing role models for black youth, ages 12-21, from the Toronto area. The youth receive workshop training in a number of work life areas and are matched with mentors who have made significant contributions to their community from a variety of fields. The mentors receive a number of support services from the YMCA. Contact Information.

• General Electric Canada Inc. (Mississauga, Ontario)
  GE has an international volunteer society called ELFUN (Electrical Fund). Their local chapter is doing work in schools with the deaf and inner city youth. Some one-on-one mentoring occurs and mentors go to children's homes to help with computer skills. The US-based component of this company sponsors formal mentoring program for inner city children. Contact Information.

• Step Up/Step Ahead (Toronto, Ontario)
  Operating since about 1992, this mentor program was originally started by the Business Development Bank of Canada, but is now managed by former Step Up graduates who have formed a women's networking group called Step Ahead. Differences of opinion over how the bank's program should operate have split the partners from the original Step Up group. Now, the women's networking group has launched its own support program, called Step Ahead's One-on-One Mentoring program. Step Ahead is currently accepting applications for its first session. Meanwhile, the bank plans to offer its Step Up program this year, as soon as it finds a community sponsor to replace Step Ahead.

  The pairing of novice women entrepreneurs with more established women in business has had benefits. The banks say that 92 per cent of Step Up graduates increased their profits, 78 per cent expanded, 49 per cent created new jobs and 53 per cent entered new markets.

  So far, Step Ahead's mentoring program has two corporate sponsors, the accounting firm of Coopers and Lybrand and the legal firm Fasken Campbell Godfrey. Step Ahead would like to expand to become a national lobby group for women business owners.

  To receive mentoring from Step Ahead entrepreneurs must be interested in expanding their current business activities. In addition they must have been in business at least two years and have annual sales of $100,000 or more. The program costs $750 to attend, and includes a monthly four-hour workshop and a package of business planning computer software. Contact Information.

• Canadian Paraplegic Association (Toronto, Ontario)
  The goal of the Peer Mentor program is to support clients of the ERC (in-patients of Lyndhurst Spinal Cord Rehab Centre or consumers living in the community) who are searching for employment by providing them with a mentor. The Peer Mentor program is based on the philosophy that people with disabilities know best the particular problems, needs and sometimes the resources related to living with a permanent physical disability. Volunteer mentors are employed, have a mobility impairment and have made satisfactory adjustment to the major social, psychological and physical barriers which accompany his or her disability. Training enhances the potential for support and assistance and includes communication strategies, problem solving and community resources through discussion and role play. The mentors are trained to provide support in a one-to-one and group format. Mentors facilitate opportunities for clients to achieve a greater level of independence, self sufficiency and knowledge as the result of a positive role model. Contact Information.

• PEI Council of the Disabled (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island)
  One of their groups, DAWN (Disabled Women's Network) had older women supporting/mentoring younger women. This is an informal mentoring that occurs within the group. Contact Information.

• Scientopia (Newark, Delaware)
  An online mentoring program for high school students with disabilities who are interested in engineering, science and math. Students with the help of a mentor are supported to lead group discussions typically once a month. Internships are also available. Contact Information.

• MentorNet (San Jose, California)
  MentorNet is The National Electronic Industrial Mentoring Network for Women in Engineering and Science. They pair women who are studying engineering or science at participating universities with professional scientists and engineers working in industry, and help them form e-mail based mentoring relationships. In 1997 they had 225 pairs participating in a pilot program and in 1998 expect 500 pairs. MentorNet links students at 25 different universities with industry professionals across the US. Last year mentors from 97 different companies volunteered. The program coordinator reports that there are common elements between face-to-face and e-mentoring programs, however, they are implemented in different ways. For example, in prior FTF mentoring programs, group meetings were always successful elements of the program. In e-mentoring, topic specific mailing lists take the place of group meetings. Contact Information.

• Teen Pregnancy and Parenting Clinic and Mother Mentor Program (Seattle, Washington)
  Established in 1990, the Group Health Teen Pregnancy and Parenting Clinic provides comprehensive healthcare to pregnant and parenting adolescents. The Mother Mentor Program began in 1992 to provide complementary mentoring and role model skills to these same young parents as well as pregnant and new mothers not involved with the clinic. Since its inception, the program has provided for the maternal health care needs of more than 300 pregnant teens and their support systems. Contact Information.

• Bright Beginnings Mentor Program (New Haven, Connecticut)
  This program started in 1993 to assist young mothers adapt to the demands of parenting. Spanish-speaking volunteers are recruited and trained and then matched with local area families (mothers in their second trimester of pregancy until about 1 year old). Mentors address specific concerns and focus on health issues affecting a child's well-being. Contact Information.

• Village Investment Project - Mentors for Adoption-Ready Children (North Aurora, Ilinois)
  A unique mentor/recruitor program that identifies adults who will assist in the recruitment of permanent families for adoption-ready children. Volunteer mentors receive training and act as positive role models and provide guidance and support to the children they mentor. Partially funded through a grant by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to the Child Care Association of Illinois. Contact Information.

• A Place Called Home (Los Angeles, California)
  Founded in 1993, this program has grown to serve more than 1000 Latino and African-American youth from South Central Los Angeles. Its goal is to provide mentors to help create a positive family environment where children acquire realistic alternatives to violence, drugs and gang lifestyles. Contact Information.

• Digital Equipment (Maynard, Massachusetts)
  Uses mentors as a strategy to maintain a diverse workforce. Mentoring reduces turnover by 30 percent among minorities and 15 percent among new hires. Managers receive a half-day of training as volunteer mentors and meet once a month with each new employee. Mentoring increases the friendliness of the environment for persons with diverse ethnic backgrounds. Contact Information.

UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE STAFF TO OTHER STAFF MENTORING

• University of Wisconsin Academic Staff Mentoring Program (Madison, Wisconsin)
  The Academic Staff Mentoring Program promotes professional and personal development among all academic staff by connecting them with others who can advise, coach, and guide them, as well as help them understand the context in which they are operating. Any academic staff member can be a mentor or a mentee and some people have been both at the same time. The program is designed for both new and continuing academic staff with goals developed to meet individual needs. In 1997, 48 pairs of academic staff participated in the first stage of a successful pilot mentoring program. The second stage of the pilot program began in Spring 1998 and will continue through the 1998-99 academic year. Within the program, mentoring pairs design their own plans, with various durations and meeting commitments. Contact Information.

• University of California Staff Mentoring Program (San Diego, California)
  The university has included mentoring as part of a comprehensive career development program designed to provide employees with the knowledge and tools required for goal setting, achieving greater job satisfaction, job enhancement, and lateral and/or upward mobility. Experienced employees or retirees are matched with volunteers who have completed a series of course on career planning, skills assessment, and other practical career workshops. Each volunteer completes a career development plan and identifies the steps they will take within a one year period to achieve their goals. The plan serves as a base for discussion with a mentor once a month for about an hour over a six month period. When the volunteer completes the interaction with the mentor, the volunteer has an opportunity to act as a mentor to a new volunteer. Mentors also act as champions for their partners. A unique feature of this program is a quarterly mixer (meeting) where 200-500 people attend, participating in ice breakers, sharing opportunity examples, and interact with each other over a variety of issues. In the three years since the start of the program (1996-99), 2,000 of the 16,000 employees (in three locations) have volunteered. Preliminary data shows that 18 percent of the program participants (as compared to 8 percent of non-participants) have been promoted. Contact Information.

• Butler County Community College Staff Mentor Program (El Dorado, Kansas)
  The Staff Mentor program was established to help new staff succeed and experience inclusion at the college. The mentor is designated by the new employee's supervisor and invited to the Mentor luncheon at New Employee Orientation hosted by the Faculty/Staff Development Department. The program encourages professional and personal development among all staff by connecting them with those who can inform, coach, and guide them. In addition, the program is designed to help new employees understand and feel part of the culture and "family" of the college. Contact Information.

FACULTY/ALUMNI TO STUDENT MENTORING

• Upper Canada College Common Ties Mentoring Program (Toronto, Ontario)
  Graduates of this school are affectionately called "Old Boys," and they act as mentors to current students. The focus of the mentoring is to develop skills, knowledge, and expertise for educational, professional and personal growth. Two mentoring program are provided: the Alumni Career Mentorship Program; and the IB University Mentorship Program. In the Alumni program, younger alumni have an opportunity to be paired with Old Boys, parents or friends of the school willing to act as mentors. Most mentoring relationships are short-term, and applicants complete an online form. A mentoring manager coordinates the program connections and pairs usually meet in person but telephone and email connections are possible. The program also hosts networking events, career workshops and seminars each year. Mentors are encouraged to challenge, question, and provide access to information for their mentees. The IB University Mentorship Program is for current students to connect with young alumni to facilitate university selection, application, interview and transition. University mentors are young alumni who are currently studying at a university and are willing to volunteer their time to assist students. Students find a mentor through the University Mentor Directory, and both members of the pair are governed by a Common Ties Code of Conduct. Contact Information.

• Davidson College Student Mentor Program (Davidson, North Carolina)
  Students at this college develop a set of personal goals and meet weekly with a mentor from the local area who is a professional business or community leader. The focus is on building leadership skills in students. In addition to weekly meetings with a mentor students participate in a weekly leadership seminar and and twice yearly retreats. Student participants plan the topics to be covered in the leadership seminar. Contact Information.

• USC School of Architecture Mentor Program (Los Angeles, California)
  In operation since 1993 students in the School of Architecture are matched by interest with a mentor. A representative from the School helps establish the first meeting, and from there it is up to the mentor and partner to decide when and how to proceed. Topics of discussion can include career goals, time management, resolving conflicts, setting goals, preparing a portfolio, graduate study, job search strategies and other topics related to being a student and potential professional in architecture. Contact Information.

• Milwaukee School of Engineering Mentor Program (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
  Faculty, staff and alumni are paired with incoming freshman and transfer students. In addition the pair meets with a peer mentor who is an upper-class student. Each trio is expected to meet regularly, and meetings can be topic or recreation centered. Contact Information.

• Griffith University Mentoring Program(Nathan, Australia)
  Two-hundred students are matched with mentors in their field (across a wide range of disciplines) for second semester each year. Mentors are drawn mostly from alumni and employers in business and industry. The mentors usually give their students some work experience but their major role is to be a 'career friend' to the student, talking to them about the field, giving feedback, answering career-related questions and providing advice on resume preparation and interview performance. Matching is done on-line with mentors' biosketches helping the matching process. Both mentors and partners participate in an organised training session, and then meet in a breakfast meeting format in a city hotel where we sit people with their mentoring partners in discipline tables. Participants complete a Mentoring Agreement which is photocopied and sent to the coordinator. There is also a mentoring progress review form to assist in tracking the mentoring relationships. Two partners are selected who have had especially beneficial experiences to speak at the closing cocktail function and then everyone fills in an evaluation (different for partners and mentors). The program has a database that enables them to match, develop reports and email all participants. In 2008 the program used podcasts from mentors and partners and placed them on their website. Contact Information.

• The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) (Hyde Park, New York)
  The CIA has established three mentoring programs: The Faculty Mentor Program, the Alumni Mentor Program and the Host Mentor Program. The Faculty and Alumni work with on-campus students as well as after graduation, if desired. The Host program is for students just while they are on their externships - an alumni contacts to help them to begin their own network of contacts and a feel for the city they are externing in. These programs help the students while in college to make the most of their time, to assist them in identifying their passions and explore where to focus their energies when they graduate, as well as giving assistance for general life skills. The cooking industry is small, but it is worldwide. The CIA has 38,000 grads and most are delighted to be able to help the up and coming students. These programs are just part of what makes CIA graduates stand out in the industry and perpetuate the Culinary Institute as the "World's Premier Culinary College". Contact Information.

• Midwestern State University (Wichita Falls, Texas)
  Nicknamed BEGIN (Beginning Educators Gain Instructional Nurturance), this program gives scholarships to students who plan to teach math, science, foreign language, or bilingual education. The mentors for the students teach the same subjects as the students' majors. We have just finished a wonderful "kick-Mentors and scholars meet each other at a kickoff dinner. The mentors receive a small, yearly stipend and their one-time choice of a laptop, iTouch, or iPhone. They continue mentoring these students throughout their college career and hopefully, after that. The students receive $2500 yearly scholarships, plus the technology piece, and agree to teach in a high needs school for the number of semesters during which they receive the scholarship. A $3,000,000 grant from the federal government to MSU is the source of funding. There are currently 85 students and 52 mentors participating in the program. A mentor coordinator finds the mentors, provides training, and gives suggestions and support to the mentors throughout the year. Many of the scholars and mentors have formed lasting bonds. The mentors give support, encouragement, and advice when needed. The idea was to get the mentors and scholars located close enough so that the scholars could actually visit the mentors' classrooms even though most of the communication is online. The program is a collaboration between MSU, University of North Texas, Vernon Junior College, North Texas Central College, and the Wichita Falls ISD. Contact Information.

• Boston College Intersections Mentoring Program (Boston, Massachusetts)
  This program matches any undergraduate with faculty and staff. Students sign-up online, and the only requirement of the program is that the pair meet at least three times over the semester. Contact Information.

• Women in Computing Research Distributed Mentor Project (U.S.A. and Canada)
  The primary objective of this organization is to increase the number of women entering graduate studies in the fields of computer science and engineering. The program matches undergraduate women with a faculty mentor for a summer research experience (typically a 10-week project) at the faculty mentor's home institution. Funding support for the students includes a weekly stipend for research plus a relocation travel assistance grant, and is provided through the U.S.-based National Science Foundation and other organizations. Mentors receive an honorarium. Since 1994, over 300 students from more than 100 different academic institutions have participated, and an independent assessment revealed that the primary goal (increasing the enrollment of women in graduate studies) has been continually accomplished. Contact Information.

• Crummer Graduate School of Business Mentor Program (Winter Park, Florida)
  Alumni mentor current MBA students in order to explore different industries, review career paths, and adjust personal goals. Students are paired with a business executive whose expertise closely matches the student's interest. Mentors typically serve for one or two year terms, attend a reception and other academic events, communicate at least once a month in person with their student partners, provide feedback and explore shared interests. Mentors are expected to provide guidance, expand student knowledge, share stories of success and failure, connect students to professional network, provide job shadowing opportunities, and offer feedback. Students initiate the relationship, clarify their expectations, set objectives for each meeting, and establish open communication with the mentor. Contact Information.

• University of California Student Alumni Mentorship Program (Berkeley, California)
  One to one relationships where alumni mentor undergraduate students. Profiles of mentors are available online. Students and mentors work out a contract regarding number and duration of meetings. The intention of the mentorship is to help students with day to day student life issues, academic, personal and cultural issues, planning, development and advising. Contact Information.

• College Success Foundation Hometown Mentor Program and College Mentor Program (Issaguah, Washington)
  This organization offers two programs. (1) The "Hometown" program recruits community members who value higher education to support students in their last two years of high school through their first few months in college. The mentors discuss career and academic goals, and help prepare the students for college and life beyond high school. The mentors meet with the students on their high school campus. They receive training and have access to a mentor coach (known as a College Prep Advisor). Mentors are selected through application, background checks, references, and a personal interview. (2) The "College" program uses agreements with over fifty college campuses to provide mentors for "Achiever Scholars" - recipients of scholarships through the Foundation. The college mentor coordinator recruits and trains campus faculty and staff to become mentors for these students. Mentors help with transition and understanding of the college culture, mission and philosophy. Mentors meet with monthly with the students, and while the emphasis is on the first two years of college, the mentors are encouraged to continue on with the mentoring during the junior and senior years. Contact Information.

• Wayne Community College Minority Male Mentoring Group (Goldsboro, North Carolina)
  This programhas targets high-risk students and pairs them with faculty and community mentors. Student participants must be enrolled full-time and be willing to mentor another student once they have been accepted into the program. The program has had a significant impact on student retention achieving a 100 percent return rate compared to the 40-70 percent return rate of campuses across the country. Participants in the program also are more likely to gain employment and go on to four-year colleges. Contact Information.

• Trent University Alumni-Student Mentoring Program (Peterborough, Ontario)
  This program is an online, e-mentoring service that pairs current students with alumni. The focus of the service is to assist students to learn about career options and seek advice from successful alumni working in a variety of professions and fields. No formal matching occurs, and a database allows potential partners to seek out potential alumni mentors. Mentors can be alumni, faculty or staff at the university. Students and mentors work out their own arrangements with regards to the length of mentorship, amount of contact, and degree of commitment. The Career Centre website provides a list of tips and resources for mentors and partners. Contact Information.

• Johnson C. Smith University (Charlotte, North Carolina)
  Faculty mentors working with freshman to enhance retention. Contact Information.

  LI>University of Virginia Library Mentors (Charlottesville, Virginia)
  Professional librarians volunteer as mentors for first year students to increase their awareness of library services and resources and improve their research skills. The librarian stays in touch with the student through his or her first two years at the university, offering tours, instruction, research help and updates on new materials. Contact Information.

• University of British Columbia Tri-Mentoring Program (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  This program matches senior students with industry and faculty representatives within the students' general career interest area. The senior students in turn mentor junior students about campus life and course selection. The primary objective of this program is to develop student skills in career self-management while building a sustainable mentoring culture at the university. Career coaching training is provided to all mentors and a mentoring resource centre is available online. Matching criteria are clearly stated and various matching tools such as an application form for partners and mentors is available. A program coordinator assists all mentoring relationships and provides support to deal with a variety of challenges. Contact.

• University of Victoria Mentorship Program for Commerce Students (Victoria, British Columbia) - Started January 1999 for the undregraduate program in the Faculty of Business, matching between alumni and student was done manually by a group of student volunteers. The students and mentors set-up their own meetings. Now an online community has an established so that students can browse an area of interest and view profiles of mentors. No names or email adresses are posted on the site, and the student has an option to email mentors to ask questions or set-up meetings. A password is required to use the system. Contact Information.

• Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, Michigan)
  The Mentor/Mentee Program is an initiative that matches Mentors (faculty or staff) with students (Mentees) who desire a guide. Generally, the students are minority freshmen, however, the program includes students of all ethnicity, undergraduate, transfer and graduate level status. Mentors contact the Mentees when they arrive on campus, welcome them to the community if feasible, and serve as their Mentor during their first year on campus. The faculty and staff attend an informational meeting describing the program and the expectations. Matches are made based on major and area of interest by the program coordinator. Contact Information.

• Dawson College (Montreal, Quebec)
  A faculty/student mentor program is in operation with over 135 mentors currently being matched to first semester students. A new peer mentoring initiative in the Social Sciences program has had positive results with 560 students matched in the 1st and 3rd semesters of the program. Mentors are provided with two workshops on communication skills and the goals of mentoring. Contact Information.

• Concordia University (Montréal, Quebec)
  Alumni volunteer to act as mentors to students preparing to enter the work force. The mentors provide advice, share their work experiences, and point out options that students might not have considered previously. Approximately 55 students participated in the program in 1992. Alumni were eager to act as mentors. Contact Information.

• University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan (Regina, Saskatchewan)
  The Student Development Committee wanted to create closer links between the students at both the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Regina and the members of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (APEGS). Mentors are linked with a requesting student and information about each other is forwarded to both the mentor and the student. The mentor contacts the student by email to arrange an in-person meeting. Mentors typically share experiences which may be helpful for the student as he/she works toward a career as a Professional Engineer or Professional Geoscientist. This may include assistance with access to resources such as corporate libraries for student projects, industry contacts, or even invitations to social activities where the student can mingle with professionals. The student and the mentor work out details about their resources, time availability and interests. Contact Information.

• Graduate Mentorship Program (Berkeley, California)
  This program builds a student community, provides one-on-one mentoring for new students to the University of California at Berkeley, promotes student use of alumni and faculty networks, and plans workshops on career skills. Contact Information.

• University of Minnesota Alumni Association (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
  The University of Minnesota Alumni Association sponsors the Mentor Connection which trains alumni as mentors for various programs at the University. Contact Information.

• University of Missouri Management Information Systems (St. Louis, Missouri)
  Alumni from over 30 St. Louis-based corporations act as mentors to undergraduate students. The program is run by an Advisory Board composed of current students and alumni. Each UM-St. Louis MIS student who so requests is assigned a mentor who matches their technical/professional interests as closely as possible. Listings of the pairings are available online. The program publishes a Mentoring Program Newsletter. Although there are some formal mentor-partner group meetings, most of the contact is made informally. Some students seek advice about classes and curriculum from their mentors. Others seek advice about resumes and getting a job. Still other students shadow their mentor to experience the real world. The relationship and the extent of the relationship is under the control of the student and mentor. Contact Information.

• University of Oklahoma Graduate Student Mentoring Program (Stillwater, Oklahoma)
  The University is interested in encouraging mentoring and developing an opportunity for others to share their experiences with and increase their awareness of the value and practice of mentoring. Contact Information.

• George Washington University Faculty Mentoring Program (Washington, DC)
  Outstanding undergraduate students involved in competitive national scholarships and fellowships are paired with faculty mentors who will work with the students in preparing their application packages. Contact Information.

• Arizona State University - West (Tempe, Arizona)
  As part of an institution to institution mentoring program, ASU has combined with Grand Canyon University and Mesa Community College where faculty mentors and doctoral students explore teaching, research, and service roles on partner campuses and engage in a variety of experiences ranging from learning assessment and faculty governance to student service activities. Contact Information.

• <Austin Community College (Austin, Texas)
  A program established to help new faculty succeed at the College. A list of trained faculty mentors is available as well as guidelines, activities and checklists.Contact Information.

• University of Texas at San Antonio Career Mentoring
  An e-mail-based mentoring program where alumni sign-up to be mentors and students can search through a database for mentors. Restricted to graduates and currently registered students of the University. Contact Information.

• Howard University Faculty Mentoring Program (Washington, DC)
  Howard University partners with Bowie State University, The Catholic University of America, Howard Community College, Marymount University, and Virginia Tech - Northern Virginia Center. Graduate students are given opportunities to deliver guest lectures under the tutelage of faculty mentors and participate in a variety of learning experiences. Contact Information.

• Northwestern University Faculty Mentoring Program (Evanton, Illinois)
  In a program open to doctoral students in all departments, Northwestern partners with Chicago State University, Northeastern Illinois University, Lake Forest College, and Oakton Community College, and provides a year-long seminar taught by faculty from participating institutions. Participants have access to cluster institution mentors at these meetings. The participants also work with a mentor at one of the partner institutions to develop a series of activities based on each student's interests and needs and may teach all or a portion of a course with the mentor's guidance and supervision. Contact Information.

• Northeastern Illinois University Minority Student Mentoring Program (Chicago, Illinois)
  A minority student mentoring program was started at Northeastern Illinois University to connect faculty members or adminstrative professionals as mentors with new students to help them learn the ropes, enrich their personal growth, and develop a plan for career and academic success. Student persistence data collected in 1995-1998 compared the dropout rates between students who participated in the minority mentoring program to non-mentored freshman revealed a positive effect of mentoring. Contact Information.

• DePaul University ASK Program (Chicago, Illinois)
  ASK (Alumni Sharing Knowledge) is a mentoring and networking program offered through the Career Center of DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. Hundreds of DePaul University alumni volunteer as informal advisors, contacts and mentors to DePaul students and other alumni. They share perspective on their own education and career development, offer advice about their professional fields, and participate in programs offered by the Career Center. The ASK program is free of charge to all DePaul University graduates and students, however, only DePaul University student and alumni may use the program. Students complete a brief registration form describing their interests and then receive the name of a possible alumni mentor. The student and mentor then plan their meetings which can be in person, by telephone, or through e-mail. Meetings are often arranged to discuss occupational skill requirements, employment outlooks in a particular field or company, career paths and interviewing or resume techniques. Contact Information.

• University of Evansville MentorNet (Evansville, Indiana) - A professional, electronic-mentoring program created to assist University of Evansville (UE) students in exploring various career fields. It links participating students with alumni and other volunteer mentors. Students have the opportunity to gain valuable career information and advice about a particular field or industry from an established professional and to relate that information to their areas of study. Access is limited to UE students and volunteer mentors who register with UE MentorNet. Participating students are linked with mentors in a career or industry of interest and/or by common majors or fields of study. After the match is made, students are sent profile information about the mentor with whom they have been linked and the guidelines for information exchanges and interviews. At the same time, volunteer mentors receive notification and a profile of the UE student with whom they have been networked. Either party can initiate communication; generally, however, students are directed to make the first contact. Both parties are encouraged to use e-mail as the preferred method of ongoing communication, supplemented by telephone discussion. Contact Information.

• SOARS Mentors Program
  SOARS (Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science) is a multi-summer, four year undergraduate and graduate program for students majoring in an atmospheric science or a related field such as biology, chemistry, computer science, earth science, engineering, environmental science, mathematics, meteorology, oceanography, physics, or social science.

  SOARS is dedicated to increasing the number of African American, American Indian, and Chicano/Hispanic/Latino students enrolled in graduate degree programs in the atmospheric and related sciences in order to increase ethnic diversity within the scientific community of the future.

  SOARS students (partners) spend their initial summers in Boulder, Colorado at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) working with scientists on cutting edge research projects. Subsequent summers may be spent at NCAR, one of several DOE, NASA, or NOAA national laboratories, or a UCAR member university.

  Partners receive a competitive stipend, housing, and round-trip air fare. SOARS provides educational and research opportunities, mentoring, career counseling and guidance, and financial support for partners accepted into graduate level programs. Contact Information.

• The Telecom Alumni Mentor Program (Bloomington, Indiana) - A mentoring program that matches alumni with telecommunications students at Indiana University. Contact Information.

• MBA Mentors
  Provides mentoring support for management and business students, particularly mature students on distance learning courses. MBA Mentors are a geographically dispersed network of professionals with significant experience in Management, Business Administration and Information Technology Management. All associates are educated to either DBA, PhD, or MBA level, from accredited universities. Their primary goal is to help increase the success rate of students to reach graduation. Contact Information.

• University of Colorado Graduate Mentor Program (Boulder, Colorado)
  A network of partners have been developed across the state, including Colorado State University, Community College of Denver, Regis College, The Colorado College, United States Air Force Academy, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, University of Colorado-Denver, and the Colorado School of Mines where among other things faculty mentors assist in the development of and provide oversight to an internship plan developed by graduate student participants. Faculty mentors work intensely with one student in an area of shared interest, participate in portfolio preparation, and contribute to the design of a graduate program track in their field that prepares graduate students for faculty careers. Contact Information.

• Duke University Faculty Mentoring Program (Durham, North Carolina)
  Advanced doctoral students in the humanities, social sciences, physical sciences, and biological sciences are paired with a faculty mentor from a partner institution, such as Durham Technical Community College, Guilford College, or North Carolina Central University. Together they develop an action agenda of formal and informal activities for the year, and participate in luncheon discussions on various professional issues, special weekend workshops on pedagogical issues, and monthly disciplinary seminars. Faculty mentors receive appointments as Visiting Scholars at Duke, giving them access to libraries and other university facilities as well as invitations to join monthly departmental seminars or speaker series. Contact Information.

• Clemson University (Clemson, South Carolina)
  This mentoring program has been established to increase the retention of women in science and engineering in both undergraduate and graduate studies. Contact Information.

• Indiana University Faculty Mentoring Program (Bloomington, Indiana)
  Indiana partners with Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne, Indiana University-Northwest (Gary), Indiana University-Kokomo, Indiana University-Southeast (New Albany), Indiana University-East (Richmond), Indiana University-South Bend, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, Franklin College, DePauw University, Taylor University, Butler University, and Anderson College to provide opportunities for graduate students to collaborate with faculty mentors on courses, seminars and workshops on pedagogical research and teaching, issues in higher education, the preparation of teaching portfolios, and course design. Some departments have arrangements that enable students to shadow faculty at partner institutions in Indiana. Advanced Ph.D. students teach for a semester on one of IU's seven non-residential campuses and receive mentoring by a faculty member at the campus. Contact Information.

• Syracuse University Faculty Mentor Program (Syracuse, New York)
  Faculty mentors at partner institutions such as Colgate University, Hamilton College, Le Moyne College, Onondaga Community College, and the State University of New York College at Oswego help graduate students from Syracuse develop awareness about career options and a broader perspective on their preparation as scholars, teachers, and professionals. Work groups, comprising graduate faculty and students and faculty from partner institutions, conduct workshops and seminars and provide opportunities for graduate students to observe and shadow faculty at partner institutions as they teach, participate in faculty committees and meetings, and advise students. Contact Information.

• Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College (South Bronx, New York)
  The college, which is part of the City University of New York system, initiated a mentoring program which drew upon volunteers from all areas of the highly diverse staff. A coordinator provides direction and helps to match mentors with high-risk students, provides an orientation program for mentees, conducts training workshops for mentors, and looks after other activities. Mentoring has expanded to include family members and has led to a mentoring climate at the college. Student GPA improved significantly and improved student transition into a fuller range of course subjects. Because of the problems associated with being a commuter college, the program hopes to expand to include an e-mail component. Contact Information.

• University of Kentucky Faculty Mentoring Program (Lexington, Kentucky)
  Faculty members from partner institutions incluidng Centre College, Lexington Community College, Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky State University, Transylvania University, and Asbury College invite students to join them for day-long campus visits to study the roles and responsibilities of faculty at different types of institutions, faculty life cycles, advising and mentoring practices, the academic labor market, as well as preparations for job searches. Courses are also provided to prepare students to be faculty members. One course on teaching is an experiential course that links students with a faculty mentor at a partner institution where they might teach or co-teach a course, present a talk on their research, attend faculty meetings, and/or participate in faculty development activities. A peer-mentoring program prepares graduate students to serve as mentors to new graduate students. Contact Information.

• University of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) and Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
  Working with partners Alverno College, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Carthage College, University of Wisconsin Center-Rock County, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and the University of Wisconsin Center-Washington County, these two universities have jointly developed individual and group activities to to contribute to graduate student development opportunities. Some of the activities include workshops on preparing professional portfolios, teaching at two- and four-year partner institutions, an annual conference, and internal and external mentor/mentee relationships. A Marquette graduate student organization, working with the graduate school and the Center for Teaching Excellence, has developed a year-long calendar of on- and off-campus activities, including an orientation for new graduate students, brown bag lunches, peer and faculty mentors, practice interviews with alumni and faculty, and workshops and conferences. Students participating in all the events earn a transcript notation that they have completed the program. Each graduate student has multiple mentors, representing various academic disciplines and perspectives, and has the opportunity to have many teaching and learning experiences within a complex college-wide program. Contact Information.

• University of Minnesota Faculty Mentor Program (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
  Along with partners Augsburg College, Hamline University, Macalester College, Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis Community and Technical College, the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the University of Minnesota-Morris, St. Olaf College, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, the University of St. Thomas, and the College of St. Catherine, UofM has had more than 600 graduate student participants from seventy-seven of the 110 participating doctoral programs. A practicum for Instructors in Higher Education offers collegial support for classroom teaching, information and discussion about the faculty role, classroom observation and feedback, and mentorship at the University of Minnesota or a partner campus. Contact Information.

• University of Washington Faculty Mentor Program (Seattle, Washington)
  In partnership with North Seattle Community College, Seattle Central Community College, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle University, the University of Puget Sound, the University of Washington-Bothell, and Western Washington University, UW creates mentorship opportunities for UW graduate students and faculty to devote a full term to enhancing their teaching capacities. Participants come from throughout the University and collaborate on a teaching and learning project with a faculty mentor. The Graduate School offers three courses, one of which is a Teaching Mentorship Seminar that provides experience for students working under the direction of a faculty member. The course is designed to enhance the student's ability to make innovative contributions in teaching and adds to what they have already learned from their mentors. Contact Information.

• Ohio State University Faculty Mentor Program (Columbus, Ohio)
  Eligible students who are enrolled in a doctoral program and desire a a teaching position upon graduation are selected through a University-wide competition and matched with partner mentors, chosen for their demonstrated teaching abilities.Contact Information.

• Sigma Phi Epsilon Mentoring and Networking Program
  A nationwide network of alumni, parents, friends, and faculty who are willing to help SigEps with information, contacts, and referrals. The program also includes those who are willing to provide a young man encouragement, friendship, and role modeling as he enters a career. Contact Information.

• MentorNet (San Jose, California)
  MentorNet is The National Electronic Industrial Mentoring Network for Women in Engineering and Science. They pair women who are studying engineering or science at participating universities with professional scientists and engineers working in industry, and help them form e-mail based mentoring relationships. In 1997 they had 225 pairs participating in a pilot program and in 1998 expect 500 pairs. MentorNet links students at 25 different universities with industry professionals across the US. Last year mentors from 97 different companies volunteered. The program coordinator reports that there are common elements between face-to-face and e-mentoring programs, however, they are implemented in different ways. For example, in prior FTF mentoring programs, group meetings were always successful elements of the program. In e-mentoring, topic specific mailing lists take the place of group meetings. Contact Information.

• Anne Arundel Community College (Arnold, Maryland)
  Provides non-traditional ways to support students in required science, mathematics, business and social sciences courses, including student and faculty mentors. Contact Information.

• Community College of Rhode Island Minority Mentoring Program (Warwick, Rhode Island)
  The Minority Mentoring Program at the Community College of RI (MMP) was originally funded through grant funds in 1989. However, over time the original funding was exhausted, but the College decided to keep the program, although funded at a lower level. The current director of the MMP redesigned the program in 1996 to be smaller and to offer more structured support to mentors and mentees. It now serves about 75 mentees on three campuses. They also maintain a link with a statewide hospital association, Lifespan, as a another source of mentors for the Providence Campus. The people involved in mentor-mentee relationships that work are excited about the program and the experience. The program continues to build on this base of success looking for opportunities to bring people together trough coffee hours, luncheons, and a fall walking tour of Providence. The connection with other mentoring pairs serves to reinforce a sense of identification with the program and of the match. MPP has handbooks for the mentor, the mentee, and the advisors who support the pairs. Contact Information.

• Connecticutt College Career Mentoring Program (New London, Connecticutt)
  Students learn about different careers by working with volunteer alumni including job shadowing, interviews and work tours. Contact Information.

• University of Scranton (Scranton, Pennsylvania)
  The faculty student mentoring program provides first year students with the opportunity to establish a relationship lasting over the course of four years with a faculty member at the University of Scranton. The faculty member provides support to assist students in their adjustment to college life personally, socially and academically. Contact Information.

• University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland)
  The College of Library and Information Services started a formal mentoring program in 1995 as part of their diversity activities. They recruited African-American information professionals and College graduates to share their work experiences with current students. The major benefits to the students include the opportunity to interact with role models in their area of professional interest, to gain an understanding of workplace issues, and to network with future employers and colleagues. Individuals willing to mentor students provide a resume and other relevant information to the College. These details are placed in a notebook in the Office of Student Services, where students interested in developing a mentoring relationship can review and then select a person or persons whose professional activities are in an area of interest to the student. The student, or the College diversity officer contacts the potential mentor to set up a meeting date. Some contacts are for one or two meetings only, while others continue throughout the student's program. Each year the College holds a reception for all mentors and invites students who would like to meet a potential mentor. At this reception mentor experts are invited to speak. The College mentoring activities have been very successful and have expanded to provide mentors for students on fellowships and also provide mentors for teachers from local school districts who are working towards graduate degrees in information sciences. Contact Information.

• University of California (Berkeley, California)
  Engineering students are matched with mentors who are alumni of the engineering program. Participants report that the mentoring program guides career development decisions, nurtures personal values and character development, develops academic competence and self-confidence, enhances communication skills, helps individual growth personally, professionally, and socially, promotes greater knowledge of how things work, and gives alumni the opportunity to return some of the value they received from Cal. Contact Information.

• Leeds Metropolitan University (England)
  The University created a learning support system for students engaged in work-based learning. The Mentor Training Program currently being piloted by Leeds Metropolitan University is based on a generic model of mentoring. Contact Information.

• Ursuline Academy Online Mentoring (Dallas, Texas)
  This Dallas, Texas Catholic girl's school connects its students with professional women. Originally the professional women were interns who were onsite during a special summer program but the program has expanded to include telementors who are either alums of the school or part of the schools global network of professionals. The expansion was made possible because of an existing in-school advisory program where interested faculty monitored students from all four grade levels. With parent approval, an agreement specifying learning objectives, a brief autobiography and attention to proper Internet procedures any student could gain a connection with a mentor. Once enrolled, students viewed an orientation video and then emailed their mentors. As a way of monitoring the quality of the interactions and preventing difficulties all email is monitored by the student's advisor. The program has yielded a number of positive results and will be expanded to all students in the future. Contact Information.

CHURCH/SPIRITUAL MENTORING ORGANIZATIONS AND SERVICES

• Mentor ME Ministries (Irvine, California)
  Founder by Bob Drake, this religious, non-profit organization is designed to provide Christian men to act as mentors to fatherless boys. The mentors spend time with boys, aged 5 to mid-teens, in a number of fun-oriented learning activities (camps, skateboard and bike parks, computer repair and training, weight conditioning and self-defence, and fishing), prayer and Bible study. Mentors are carefully screened through background checks and fingerprinting. Contact Information.

• Long Island Youth Mentoring (Deer Park, New York)
  Since 1982 Long Island Youth Mentoring has matched at-risk children between ages 8 and 16, with screened, trained Christian adults who sense the need to help a needy child. They spend 2-4 hours a week together doing things they both enjoy. LIYM also has a Mother's Ministry where a mentor meets with a mother who needs a Christian friend. They also have a tutoring program called "Partners to Potential" and the GAP (Girls in Alternative Placement) program mentoring girls who are living in a group home or residential treatment facility. The volunteers are recruited through local churches, and are interviewed and screened by Area Directors. The mentors receive both group and one-on-one training from Area Directors, and the Area Directors keep in constant contact with their mentors. No fees are charged for these services. Contact Information.

• Intentional Discipleship Network (Oregon, USA)
  This faith-based organization provides a number of services such as workshops, print materials and one-on-one support in order to fulfill their core objectives, including mentoring and coaching to empower leaders to build faith-based ministries. Contact.

• Evangel Bible College (Calgary, Alberta)
  - Each student at the College is partnered with a mentor - a mature, committed Christian - to help assist that student in their personal spiritual growth. The mentor is chosen by the dean and the student. Mentors are typically from Eastside City Church or from the College faculty. Students attending other churches are encouraged to have a mentor from their home church whenever possible. Contact Information.

• Mentor and Multiply (Portland, Oregon)
  This organization specializes in mentoring workers in faith-based programs, especially those that train Christian leaders in areas of the world where traditional academic programs are impractical. There are no fees for mentoring except if one wants to receive seminary credit from Western Seminary. Mentors are listed on their web site and are either teachers at Western Seminary or Christian workers who have been approved by their church. The organization also provides workshops on how to train pastors by mentoring them for new churches, especially where educational and economic resources are limited. Workshops occur in almost all Latin American countries, most of Western Europe, and many Asian countries. Mentor backgrounds span a wide variety of cultures, denominations and ministry specialties. Contact Information.

• Comox Valley Youth for Christ (Courtenay, British Columbia)
  This program is called Youth Unlimited and 24-30 teens are recruited as leaders of discussion groups with younger teens (10-15 in a group). They meet once a week, discuss Bible study, and relate their study to their personal lives and any other issues. The teen leaders are trained and mentored by two adults. The goal of the program is to foster teen leadership. Contact Information.

• MatchPoint/Mentor Kids USA (Phoenix, Arizona)
  One of the largest faith-based mentoring programs in the U.S., this organization matches caring, Christian adults with at-risk kids. The mentors set aside 2-3 hours a week to be with a child as an adult friend, guide, and role model. Mentors are rigorously screened, including state and federal background checks. They receive comprehensive initial training, additional in-service training on a quarterly basis, and have regular contact with a Case Manager.

  MatchPoint targets youth between 8 and 15 (16-18 year olds may be considered in exceptional circumstances). All youth must demonstrate two of the following risk factors: (1) from a family with a parent or sibling in prison; (2) living in a single parent home; (3) any type of court contact; (4) evidence of substance abuse; (5) lagging behind in school or has dropped out; (6) living below the poverty line; or (7) a history of physical and/or sexual abuse. There is no charge for services and they provide at least two events per month that are free to mentors and a free summer camp for youth. Contact.

• MentorLink International (Raleigh, North Carolina)
  This international organization is dedicated to serving the Body of Christ by forstering the intentional mentoring of spiritual leaders. They provide partnering, transformational training, prayer mobilization, web-assisted mentoring (WAM) which operates through MentorBoard discussion groups, email networking, and free articles and materials), and financial and people resourcing. They provide information on mentoring basics. One of the unique aspects of their site is the MentorTrek system, which provides a self-guided model for learning about mentoring potential and capacities. A registration process enables visitors to increase their connection with the organization. Contact.

• Centers for Youth Development (Downey, California)
  While providing a number of initiatives for improving the quality of life for youth, the Centers' mentoring program is called: Here's Life Inner City. This program works primarily with inner city churches who have a desire for long-term impact on the children in their community. The program provides training, staff, and other critical resources to assist churches to create mentoring programs. Contact Information.

EMPLOYEES MENTORING OTHERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

• Youth Leaders in Action (North Carolina)
  This program pairs youth with developmental disabilities (aged 12-21) with adult mentors who also may or may not have developmental disabilities. Contact Information.

• Just Friends (Omaha, Nebraska)
  In operation for more than 23 years, this program is a peer mentoring and friendship program that matches teens with developmental disabilities to teens without disabilities. The objective is to give teens with developmental disabilities the opportunity to participate in 'normal' teenage activities that they otherwise would not have the opportunity to do. Teen mentors are also asked to assist their 'friend' in improving their social skills such as conversation skills, table manners, etc. Contact Information.

• Adult Learning Disability Employment Resources (Toronto, Ontario)
  This organization is a multi-service, non-profit community-based agency, whose mission is to link persons with learning disabilities and challenges to meaningful employment. This is accomplished by offering: mentoring, employment planning and counselling, job placement and coaching, IT assessment, customized educational programs and psycho-diagnostic/vocational assessments. The mentoring program matches job seekers with LD/ADHD to working mentors, with LD or not themselves, to learn new skills, obtain and maintain employment or just to come out of isolation many of them feel. The program anticipates including an online component so that partners in different cities can be linked with mentors. Mentors go through a phone screening, in-person interview, reference, and police check. Partners are also subjected to an interview about their goals and expectations and career goals in order to make the best match. A screening is also performed at this stage to determine self awareness of their own disability and needed accommodations. All information is confidential, and mentors and partners decide their own schedule and availability and boundaries once a match has been made. Typically, a first meeting takes place with the mentoring coordinator present.

  There is a seven-hour training session for mentors, that includes information on expectations, roles, availability, LD, communication and conflict resolution. Partners are also expected to go through a half-day orientation session about roles and responsibilities. Both parties are expected to sign agreement letters that uphold definitions of the relationship and upholds the mission of this organization.

  Professional development opportunities are available to both mentors and partners on a quarterly basis. The coordinator also remains open to mediate a mentoring relationship if conflict arises. A variety of workshops are available to assist the partners increase their employability. There is no fee for any of this service. Contact Information.

• Hollywood Entertainment Museum (Hollywood, California)
  A program created by the Museum and Los Angeles County Probation that provides mentors for grade 11 and 12 teens on probation who are interested in various aspects of the entertainment business. The work in this after-school program counts towards high school graduation while students learn about show business. Participants are called interns and either graduate directly from the the program or transition back to their own high schools. Contact.

• Successful Mothers Support Program (North Battleford, Saskatchewan)
  The goal of this program is to provide knowledge, parenting skill, and encouragement to help pregnant youth or parents of 0-3 year olds. Volunteer mentors who are experienced parents or have the ability to help young people learn self-caring and child caring are recruited from the community and receive training and orientation prior to being paired with a young parent. Mentors typically meet one-on-one three to four times per month for a one-year period. Contact Information.

• JUMP (St. Joseph, Missouri)
  JUMP is a project of the YWCA of St. Joseph to unite volunteer mentors from the community with pregnant and parenting teens. The goal is to make sure that both teen parents and the baby stay healthy and safe for a successful future. There is no charge and teen parents must be between the ages of 12 and 19, and either expecting a baby or parenting a young child. Mentors must be over 21 and have had some experience with infants and teens, pass through a background check and attend a training program. The teens and mentors attend a monthly JUMP meeting together, where they enjoy food, fun, educational presentations, and more. Then the mentors have a second monthly meeting just for them, where they can share ideas and provide support. Contact.

• Missouri Volunteer Resource Mothers (MVRM) (Columbia, Missouri) - This is a mentoring program for pregnant and parenting teens that was piloted, field tested and evaluated in three counties in Missouri from 1994 to 1997. It has since been implemented in numerous communities in Missouri, as well as nationally. The goals of the pilot project were to: (1) improve the health of the teen mother and her infant, (2) reduce child abuse potential, (3) reduce parenting stress, and (4) support positive decision-making. Communities are encouraged to set specific goals that relate to local needs, including increasing school completion, reducing low-birth-weight babies, reducing smoking and substance abuse, and supporting adolescent fathers.

  Pregnant teens are matched with trained volunteer mentors who agree to spend a specified amount of time each week providing information, support and friendship until the baby is at least one year old. Teens are referred to the program by various organizations and service providers in the community. Once referred to MVRM, teens receive a home visit by a MVRM staff member in order to assess their interest in the program and their specific needs. Potential mentors are recruited by word of mouth and local media. Teens and mentors are interviewed separately and then matched on their interests, preferences, lifestyles and schedules.

  The pilot project served 96 teens over a three-year period. Beginning MVRM projects are encouraged to start with a manageable number of pairs, often as small as five or six. Compared to a matched group of teens who did not receive mentoring, the MVRM teens showed: (a) significantly reduced child abuse potential, (b) significantly reduced feelings of distress and social isolation, (c) fewer hospital visits for their infants, (d) more commitment to breast feeding, and (e) fewer repeat pregnancies.

  Technical assistance is available to help a community start a program and/or conduct reasearch and program evaluation. Contact Information.

• Connections: A Mentoring Program for Young Mothers (Newmarket, Ontario)
  Connections is a program that matches prenatal teens and young mothers with caring female volunteers to mentor and support them as they make the transition to parenthood. Program participants, both prenatal and postnatal, must be under 25 years of age, and living in York Region. The commitment is for 3-4 hours a week for a period of one year. The service is free of charge, and training is provided on an ongoing basis. Contact.

• The Prisoners Resource Clearinghouse, Inc. (Decatur, Georgia)
  This organization partners mentors with at-risk youth and children of prisoners in a Mentoring, Mastery and Modeling Support system (3M). All mentors are required to attend a three day orientation, after which they may incorporate on-line communication with their partners.Contact Information.

• PEN Prison Writing Program (United States)
  Throughout the United States hundreds of prison writing programs work with thousands of inmates to teach not only the basics but also the value of writing poetry and prose. One of the most well-respected of those programs is the PEN Prison Writing Program, which recently celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. Over the years, the program has undertaken numerous projects to facilitate creative expression among the 1,630,000 men and women incarcerated in America. The PEN Prison Writing Committee awards prizes for fiction, poetry, memoir, and drama. In addition to small cash awards, winners are given the opportunity to work with a mentor, and their work is published in Fortune Society News, a quarterly newspaper for prisoners. A significant number of participants--including some who remain incarcerated--have gone on to publish books. Among these writers are Jimmy Santiago Baca, Victor Hassine, and Jerome Washington. Contact Information.

• LetÕs Get Serious (Manchester, England)
  A social enterprise set up with Health Action Zone Innovations Funding to address the health inequalities and social exclusion faced by men in the Manchester, Salford and Trafford Health Action Zone. The enterprise recruits long-term unemployed men and trains them to work as mentors with young people who may be having difficulties at school or in the wider community. Mentors complete a 13 week course and an innovative program called the "MenÕs Health Workout." Trainees study for a Certificate in Mentoring provided by City College Manchester. At the end of the training mentors are placed (two days per week, building up to four days per week) in schools and other organizations. Examples include: Youth Offending Teams (YOTs), school inclusion projects, community centres, special schools, young offenderÕs institutions, behaviour improvement schemes, and the police.

  School-based partners (mentees) are referred because of concerns regarding attendance, behaviour or attainment; other partners are identified by mentors working in schools and there is also a degree of self-referral. Other organisations submit requests to work with an individual or project that they feel would benefit from mentoring.

  Mentors work with their partners one-to-one, and occasionally in groups to identify key issues and attempt to alleviate them. Mentor and partner work together to establish a joint action plan specifically designed to deal with the individualÕs concerns.

  Preliminary evaluations have shown that although 65 percent of the mentors have previous convictions, with 58 percent serving prison sentences, 80 percent have managed to retain their jobs. The majority of those using illegal drugs have now stopped and over half have positively changed their attitudes to sexual health. LetÕs Get Serious has achieved results not only in health related issues, but also in matters such as crime and disorder, education, employment and social exclusion. Independent evaluations from the University of Manchester, Liverpool University and Birmingham University have all reported positively about the project. Contact.

• Mentoring 2000 (Mentoring UK)
  The aim of Mentoring 2000 is to promote and publicize the use of mentoring with young and adult offenders. They organize and provide conferences, disseminate information, collate and publish best practice ideas, and seek opportunities to work with organizations with similar interests. Contact.

• Youth Justice Board (United Kingdom)
  This organization provides a number of crime prevention programs for youth including a mentoring program that pairs an adult volunteer with a young person at-risk of offending. Contact.

• It Takes Two: Foster Youth Mentoring Program (Oakland, California) - This program serves foster youth attending school within the Oakland Unified School District. Volunteer mentors provide weekly, one-on-one meetings with students for tutoring, support and friendship. Mentors are recruited from the local community and matched with youth based on their preferences and interests. The foster youth have benefitted greatly from the individualized attention and teaching that a mentor provides. Contact.

• Healthy Babies Alliance (Pasadena, California)
  This organization pairs mentors with moms and grandmothers caring for small children. They train community women to be peer leaders and volunteer mentors in the Sister-Friends/Mother-Friends outreach program. The Birthing Project recruits and trains women to mentor expectant mothers as young as 12. The Sister-Friend program offers personal attention and emotional support during pregnancy until the baby's first birthday. When necessary, mentors remind mothers of important doctor's appointments, provide transportation and offer assistance. As of 2001, there are 25 mentors to new mothers, three advisors to grandmothers and 28 women who benefit from their assistance. Contact Information.

• Walk with Sally (San Marino, California)
  This organization provides mentors to children of parents with cancer. The mentors are typically qualified adults who have walked in the same mocassins as a child and experienced the same suffering. Applications to become a mentor or be a mentee are available online. Contact Information.

• Western Businesswomen's Association (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  They are participating in a mentorship program with high school girls in partnership with the YWCA. Contact Information.

• Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan Incorporated - (Regina and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
  Part of the pan-western Women's Enterprise Initiative developed, funded and coordinated by Western Economic Diversification Canada. W.E.'s youth initiatives program works very closely with high schools and other youth institutions to encourage young women and girls to consider entrepreneurism as a career option. W.E. provides these schools and organizations with speakers, advisory support, access to training and mentorship opportunities. Contact Information.

• Western Youth Entrepreneur Program (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  An initiative of Western Economic Diversification, provides loans of up to $10,000 as well as mentoring and counselling services to youth between the ages of 18 and 25. The program is administered by the Western Canadian Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDC). Contact Information.

• Digital Equipment (Maynard, Massachusetts)
  Uses mentors as a strategy to maintain a diverse workforce. Mentoring reduces turnover by 30 percent among minorities and 15 percent among new hires. Managers receive a half-day of training as volunteer mentors and meet once a month with each new employee. Mentoring increases the friendliness of the environment for persons with diverse ethnic backgrounds. Contact Information.

• PeaceMakers Mentoring Service Inc. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
  Their goal is to provide quality service to children and families on probation and in protective services. Their mission is to be an active part of the lives of all families they have contact with and bring about lasting change to the communities they serve. They are members of the National Mentoring Partnership. Contact Information.

• Community OpportunIties Development Association (CODA) Business Advisory Network (Cambridge, Ontario)
  This is a community-based organization designed to assist economically disadvantaged people start businesses or find employment, information and training. Advisors are provided to about 1000 people per year. Advisors are community business volunteers, and are assigned one-on-one to each potential entrepreneur. They are in contact on a regular basis for 42 weeks. Contact Information.

• Association for Women in Science (Washington, DC)
  A nonprofit society that includes mentoring among its key activities. Programs include matching undergraduate and graduate women in science and take place in AWIS urban and rural chapters nationwide. AWIS works with many companies to help them establish mentoring programs for women. Contact Information.

• Hospital Youth Mentoring Program (Baltimore, Maryland)
  Fifteen hospitals in 10 states participate in a Youth Mentoring Program, funded by the Commonwealth Fund and administered since 1993 by Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. The program matches at-risk youth from low-income families with mentors to help them to complete high school and make the transition to college or work. At Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York medical students mentor about 50 students from the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics High School. The students and mentors typically talk on the phone once a week and meet twice monthly, but this increases as the relationship develops. Contact Information.

• TAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Deerfield, Illinois)
  Women in the company mentor younger women, mostly students interested in science as a career. Contact Information.

• Best Buddies Mentoring Program (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
  The Best Buddies chapter at Harvard University matches Harvard volunteers with developmentally delayed and learning disabled kids and adults from Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, the King Elementary School and a Specialized Housing Group Home near the Quad. Volunteers make their own schedules for visiting their Buddies each week. The goal of the program is to form friendships that are rewarding both for volunteers and for Buddies. In its ten years at Harvard, Best Buddies has grown to include nearly thirty committed members. Contact Information.

• Cincinnati Works (Cincinnati, Ohio)
  A service to help low income adults make a transition to work. They provide job coaching and matching adults with mentors who have been in the work force. Contact Information.

• Women's Organization for Mentoring, Education and Networking (WOMEN) Unlimited Inc. (Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois: New York, New York; Orlando, Florida; Islip, New Jersey)
  Companies pay $3,000 for the year-long program for each protege they enroll. Participants receive monthly training sessions on topics including self-assessment, leadership skills and time management, and meet with mentors 2 hours a month. Contact Information.

• University of East London (London, England)
  A mentor program that addresses the barriers facing ethnic minority graduates in finding employment run by the National Mentoring Consortium. The aims and objectives of the mentor scheme are to: 1. support undergraduates through their studies, 2. encourage and prepare them to apply for graduate management training schemes, 3. increase their awareness of the different types of career and the preparation needed to apply, 4. provide role models who will encourage them to maximize their potential, 5. supply customized personal development training, and 6. help employers to recruit high-caliber graduates. Contact Information.

• Arkansas Crisis Center (Springdale, Arkansas)
  This organization has taken on the responsibility to help persons on welfare make the transition to sustainable, meaningful employment by providing mentors who in turn provide support, encouragement, and guidance. Contact Information.

• Teen Mentor Program Ameri Corps (Modesto, California)
  Serves foster teens of the community in independent living skills, academic and career guidance, group activities, and peer relationships. Provides mentors for teens. Organized through Modesto Junior College. Contact Information.

• >Liberty Wilderness Camp for Delinquent Boys (Liberty County, Florida)
  - The 78 acre camp for delinquent boys between the ages of 14 and 18 is located in the Apalachicola National Forest. They have developed a caring support team system which ensures that mentors are available for each of their camp participants, particularly when the boys return to their home setting. No further contact information available.

• University of Tennessee Transplant Peer Mentor Program (Memphis, Tennessee)
  Peer mentors are transplant recipients, family members or significant others who volunteer to help the recipients and families during their transplant experience. Recipients become eligible to be mentors one year post transplant and must have a healthy perspective concerning the pros and cons of the transplantation. They recieve training and supervision and gain contact with new transplant recipients through a referral system. The peer mentoring can take place throughout the country and is not limited to Tennesse. Contact Information.

GROUP MENTORING WITH YOUTH

• Partners for Youth with Disabilities Mentor Match Program (Boston, Massachusetts)
  This organization, founded in 1985, provides a face-to-face mentoring program, a one-to-one online mentoring program, and an online group mentoring program for youth with disabilities. In the in-person program mentors and partners agree to a one-year commitment and meet at least once in-person each month with phone contact once per week. For the online one-on-one, mentor and partner meet in-person at least 3-4 times per year and 1-2 times per week onlline. All youth are interviewed to understand their interests and needs prior to being matched; all adult mentors undergo a thorough screening process. The youth ages served are from 6-24. The organization's website includes details for both mentors and partners regarding program structure, do's and don'ts, safety, getting started, getting to know one another, having fun, setting and reaching goals, and closure. In addition online training sessions are available for mentors on helping a partner develop independent living skills, improve his or her motivation and self-esteem, relationships, become more involved in he community, and helping a parnter with education and employment. Contact Information.

• Be-A-Friend Big Brothers Big Sisters Group Mentoring Program (Buffalo, New York) - This organization operates both a one-on-one community-based program and a group mentoring program. The meetings are held in a variety of locations, including youth-serving organizations, parks and recreation centers. Three paid male staff members collectively serve 24 groupsÑeight apieceÑand one additional female staff member mentors one group. Groups are same sex with a mentor of the same gender. Mentor screening includes personal interviews, written tests, personality assessments, and criminal and driving record checks. Formal training for mentors is provided focusing on group dynamics and working with youth with special needs. Mentors commit at least one year to the program. Groups consist of four to five youth and membership is consistent and typicially meet every other week. Mentors pick youth up from their homes for the sessions, which typically last about four to six hours. Sessions often involve social and recreational activities, such as sports, community service, recreation, health and educational workshops. Contact.

• Los Angeles Team Mentoring (Teamworks) Program - This is an after-school, school-based group mentoring program serving middle-school youth in disadvantaged communities. Groups meet for 15 to 20 two-hour sessions two to four times a month. The program also includes half-day, on-campus Saturday activities, community-service projects and field trips. A structured, 20-week activity-based curriculum that focuses on team building, leadership-skills development, conflict resolution, cultural diversity and community service. It is designed to promote positive social interaction and engage youth in problem solving and decision-making. Each group consists of 10 to 12 youth and three mentors: a teacher from the school, a college student and a community volunteer. Mentor screening includes a written application, reference check, tuberculosis test and background check (fingerprinting). Mentor training consists of one eight-hour training session and one required two-hour support workshop midway through the year and training focuses on the program framework, goals and activities as well as adolescent development. Mentors are also trained in how to implement program curriculum, facilitate team formation and development, encourage positive values and build relationships of trust and confidence with program participants. Contact.

• Youth Friends Group Mentoring (Kansas City, Missouri) - This organization assists school districts in implementing and maintaining their school-based group and one-on-one mentoring activities and serves more than 85 school districts in Kansas, Missouri and Michigan. They provide no-fee technical assistance in the areas of marketing, volunteer recruitment, training, screening, retention, matching, evaluation, risk management and volunteer tracking. School districts typically hire a YouthFriends coordinator who directs all aspects of the program at the district level. Each school district is encouraged to determine the structure and activities of their matches based on the needs of the students and the interests of the volunteers in their particular district. Group matches have ranged from two youth to entire classrooms and the number and length of meetings varies as well. YouthFriends provides a series of two-day training sessions for school staff and the sessions include topics such as protocols and policies related to volunteer recruitment, training, screening, matching and risk management. Mentors attend a two-hour standardized training course that focuses on stages of youth development and the issues volunteers are likely to encounter as mentors (e.g., boundary setting, student protection and confidentiality). Screening of mentors consists of a face-to-face interview, a child abuse or neglect check, a motor vehicle records check and a criminal background check. Contact.

MENTOR/PARTNER MATCHING ORGANIZATIONS

• MicroMentor Run by Mercy Corps, a non-profit, humanitarian agency that implements community-led programs in more than 35 developing countries, MicroMentor is a free online service that connects small business owners with business mentors. Business professionals offer entrepreneurs one-on-one advice to help build successful businesses. Entrepreneurs, particularly those with low-incomes and limited access to business resources and owners of businesses that employ five people or less are connected to volunteer mentors who have successfully navigated business ownership or management. MicroMentor is dedicated to the proposition that the success of low-income microentrepreneurs is crucial to the economic and social well being of our communities. A number of resources are available on the site and participation requires the creation of a profile. Contact Information.

• GottaMentor(New York, New York)
  A career- and advice-oriented mentor matching service that recruits both mentors and partners. The focus is on short-term mentoring with an emphasis on career exploration, starting a business, and preparing for job interviews. The site provides a searchable list of the most popular advice from mentors. The service is free, but users must register and complete a profile. Contact Information.

• Academy of Achievement
  This interesting site doesn't actually find or match users with mentors, but it does match what visitors want to achieve, their personality, and their challenges with well-known people who have similar characteristics. The site includes profiles of achievers that are meant to act as a source of inspiration. Contact Information.

• Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia (ISSofBC) Mentoring Connections(Vancouver, British Columbia)
  This organization pairs professional mentors and skilled immigrants in the Vancouver area to assist them to establish their careers in Canada. Mentors help with understanding workplace culture, provide specific advice about training and educational opportunities, licensing requirements, and regulations, discuss networking opportunities, and assist their partners to gain greater self-confidence. Contact Information.

• Endeavor Global (New York, New York)
  Launched in 1997, this organization identifies and supports entrepreneurs around the world by connecting them to mentors. Entrepreneurs for mentoring are selected on the basis of their initiative, business innovation, values and ethics, role model potential, development impact, and the fit with Endeavor's vision. Selection requires nomination, a staff review, an interview with an Endeavor mentor, and selection by an international panel. Once selected, entrepreneurs are matched with an Endeavor mentor ("Venture Corp" advisors) as well as peer entrepreneurs. Contact Information.

• iMentor-pro (Sydney, Australia)
  Started in 2004, the matching of client to mentor is a three part process of taking a brief from both the corporate sponsor and the individual to check alignment of purpose. Written credentials documents are provided for up to three (3) possible mentors whose approach, experiences and achievements would appear to provide the best intellectual and practical connection to the proposed partner. Telephone, then face-to-face selection follows with agreement by both the partner and mentor to a working relationship being required before they contract. Mentors are selected on the basis of style, strength of character, a drive to contribute, willingness to share and only on completion of a two-day mentor training course (The Art of the Business-Mentor). The mentors 'buddy' in groups of three and are provided with a research library of some 500 items to mentors, partners and sponsoring clients for continuing education and thought-leadership. The business is virtual using web-based communications, access to library and connection between mentors. Everything is customized to suit the individual and the business supporting them. For large organizations with geographic spread and requiring formal assessment, iMentor offers an on-line monitoring system called SOCRATES which is secure and accessible only to the program director, partner and mentor. Contact Information.

• African and Caribbean Diversity (London, England)
  This organization runs a two-year mentoring program for talented Year 10 and 11 (that is, 14-16 years old) state school pupils of African and Caribbean descent. The service includes a week-long residential summer school at Oxford University; matching each pupil with a volunteer mentor; and arranging visits to various organizations. To date these have included Bank of England, Clifford Chance law firm, JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs investment banks. The purpose of this program is to raise the aspirations and achievements of these students to ensure that they meet entry level requirements into further and higher education. Contact Information.

• Powerhouse International, Inc. (Calgary, Alberta)
  A member-owned organization devoted to the growth and sustainability of small business owners across Canada. Members achieve measurable results through participation in proprietary peer advisory boards, mentorship programs and an annual mentorship dinner, called "Beyond he Boardroom." Powerhouse mentors commit to a two-hour period (three times a year) in which to mentor six participants at a Powerhouse advisory board. A fee is required and the service includes 26 professionally facilitated board meetings and CXO for Hire service. Ten percent of annual membership dues are converted into Powerhouse equity. Annual dividends are issued based on corporate performance. Powerhouse was launched in 2004, and has grown to support 125 entrepreneurs. Contact Information.

• Partners for Youth with Disabilities Mentor Match Program (Boston, Massachusetts)
  This organization, founded in 1985, provides a face-to-face mentoring program, a one-to-one online mentoring program, and an online group mentoring program for youth with disabilities. In the in-person program mentors and partners agree to a one-year commitment and meet at least once in-person each month with phone contact once per week. For the online one-on-one, mentor and partner meet in-person at least 3-4 times per year and 1-2 times per week onlline. All youth are interviewed to understand their interests and needs prior to being matched; all adult mentors undergo a thorough screening process. The youth ages served are from 6-24. The organization's website includes details for both mentors and partners regarding program structure, do's and don'ts, safety, getting started, getting to know one another, having fun, setting and reaching goals, and closure. In addition online training sessions are available for mentors on helping a partner develop independent living skills, improve his or her motivation and self-esteem, relationships, become more involved in he community, and helping a parnter with education and employment. Contact Information.

• The Mentoring Partnership of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) (Toronto, Ontario)
  This is an alliance of community agencies that provides occupation-specific mentoring to internationally educated immigrants. As of January, 2006 they have made 533 matches. Matches are made on factors such as shared educational background, similar work experience and common career goals. All partners are screened as to job readiness. Both mentor and partner receive an orientation to prepare them for their respective roles. The pair then negotiates the objectives of the mentoring relationship. Typically the mentors and partners work together for a total of 24 hours over a four-month period. They agree about when and where they will meet and how they will manage regular communication. Contact Information.

• International Mentoring Network Organization (Provo, Utah)
  This organization helps early and mid-career professionals connect with highly qualified mentors. A unique element of this free service is that transcripts containing interviews with mentors are posted on the website and partners can post their dream mentor requirements. Contact Information.

• Ace Mentor Program of America
  A not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide mentors for high school students in the architecture, construction and engineering industries. Approximately 100 chapters in various locations throughout the USA. Contact Information.

• Trapezia (London, England)
  Offers funding as well as access to new markets and business mentoring to companies headed up by women. Contact Information.

• Mentor (Orebro, Sweden)
  MENTOR is a newly started mentoring program targeting any new started business within three years since the start up. Their goal is to supply every fourth new started business with a mentor for a year. The "adepts" have to apply to get a mentor and it is not for sure they will receive one. The mentors have 20 years or more of experience and knowledge within the business field and offer their service free of charge. While the program is being tested in the city of Orebro in Sweden, next year it will be implemented in the rest of Sweden. They use an Inteview and matching system and provide mentoring courses for both mentors and adepts. Contact Information.

• Incucomm (Dallas, Texas)
  Incucomm provides a detailed, disciplined process for starting a company. In addition, Incucomm has a roster of experts to help young firms. They match their industry experts (mostly executives) with young firms based on needs and interests. They provide training for some of their mentors and their goal is to help founders leverage the expertise these executives already have. As of 2005 they have helped more than two dozen firms; about half through their incubator program. These firms have raised several million dollars of seed and venture funding. They work with young firms in a number of ways and usually we take an equity position, rather than charge fees. As the companies develop, they begin to charge for office space and other overhead provided. They also provide a basic self assessment template and a courtesy review for all who request it as well as a list of startup resources. Contact Information.

• Options for Success (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
  This organization provides mentoring and coaching for small and medium size business for the CEO and manager as well as working with an internal team and developing peer mentoring to support training and development. The president of the organization mentors upcoming entrepreneurs through WBO-an organization that she is a founding member and current past president. Options for Success evaluates each client/partner and through a process of interviews, development needs, and interests matches mentors with partners. Options for Success has a fee for service which varies depending on whether it is a corporate/business or non profit organization. They also deliver coaching/mentoring at no charge to members of WBO; Junior Achievement, and high school students. Typically they meet on a need basis or a minimum of 2 hours per month in face to face contact, by email or by phone. They also provide lectures/presentations on mentoring and fees ranges from $500.00- 1500.00. Contact Information.

• Canadian Women in Communications (Canada)
  With chapters throughout Canada this organization provides one-to-one mentors as well as mentoring groups for women in the communications industry. Mentoring is informal and focuses on coaching, advice and development of leadership. Contact Information.

• Mentors Online (Australia)
  This is an web-based mentoring program for professionals who are engineers, scientists, pharmacists, architects, veterinarians, IT professionals, and professionals working in the transport industry. The program registers mentors and partners and matches them with each other. The program is part of the services of the non-profit Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia (APESMA). The focus of the mentoring program is to help professionals involved in small business improve their business and commitment to the field. Contact Information.

• MentorMatch (North America)
  A joint project between The Canadian National Institute for the Blind and the American Foundation for the Blind that pairs people searching for a career with a blind or visually impaired mentor currently employed in the desired field of employment. Their current database in North America includes over 1,000 mentors and the system is available to all blind and visually impaired persons. Contact Information.

• Her Mentor Center (California)
  A fee-based mentoring service for women in transition provided by women who have had similar experiences. Provides support, a safe place for expression, assessment, feedback, and other resources. Contact Information.

• The Mentoring Partnership (Toronto, Canada)
  Volunteer mentors who are professionals in Canada act as mentors to immigrants to Canada who are seeking to apply the professional skills they learned in another country before immigrating to Canada. Contact Information.

• Safety Net Mentor Program (Salt Lake City, Utah)
  This program recruits and trains adult mentors and matches them with at-risk youth, aged 6-18 for in-person contact. They issue a newsletter and sponsor meetings where mentors and their partners all come together for fun events. They also provide a number of forms online including a mentor application form, a mentor/partner contract, a matching preferences form, and a parent permission form in either English or Spanish. Contact Information.

• Insight China (Shanghai)
  This organization has designed a series of support programs that pair trained mentors with foreign corporate executives (expatriates) working in China. The goal is to ease the passage in cross functional and cross cultural environments. Contact Information.

• Society for Personality and Social Psychology Mentorship Program (Rochester, New York)
  Matches undergraduates from across the world (particularly minorities) interested in a career in personality or social psychology with mentors who can guide them through the process of becoming a professional psychologist. Contact Information.

• The American Physiological Society APS Career Mentoring Program in Physiology (Bethesda, Maryland)
  This program matches male and female graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and new faculty with experienced physiologists. Contact Information.

• Advance Mentoring Inc. (Los Angeles, California)
  This organization is dedicated to provide every individual, regardless of occupation or affiliation, access to a network of quality mentors. They use a special matching system based on profile data and mentor/mentee interaction via email. The system is an automated, on line web mentoring, managed by staff of Adavance Mentoring Inc. They have created 40 matches as of July, 2004 and so far the system is free to use during its beta testing phase. They plan to charge $39 for 6 months or $59 per year beginning in September. There is no charge to join and look for mentors as well as use their services. The only charge in the future will be to contact mentors and begin relationship. They provide a 30 day moneyback guarantee. They also have a free forum for "expert" mentors to answer questions on specific subject and topics. Contact Information.

• Mentoryouth.com (San Diego, California)
  Mentoryouth.com is a faith-based mentoring organization that recruits Christian adults and others to become mentors in their local communities. They also register Christian mentoring programs to join a national database to receive prospective mentors. Their goal is to share, support and inspire mentors to serve young people and volunteers with excellence. The website is run by the National Network of Youth Ministries through a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Justice. They also work in partnership with MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership. Contact Information.

• Xe-NOR Inc (Saint-Lambert, Quebec)
  Xe-NOR leaders mentor young business professionals up to age 35. All mentors are senior business executives with over 20 years of experience at the executive levels within organizations. To obtain a mentor, potential mentees are invited to contact the Xe-NOR leader that best fits with their particular career interests. Mentees are formed into a network of young business professionals that are referred to as "Our Future". This group is a self-directed work team that meets at least four times a year with each other and once a year with the Xe-NOR Executive Network to share mentoring experiences and key learnings. This service is volunteer and fee-free, and mentees often contribute to the costs of meetings. Contact.

• Alberta Women's Science Network (Calgary, Alberta)
  This organization created Operation Minerva in 1988 to bring young women together with female mentors in science. They provide one-on-one mentoring, job shadowing, conferences, and other events to help more female students choose science, math and technical careers. In addition they sponsor a Mentors of the Millennium initiative to identify women from the past or present who have made a significant contribution to science, engineering, technology, or mathematics. They also publish mentoring guidelines for conferencing and job shadowing. Contact.

• icouldbe.org
  This organization provides career mentors and connects mentors with students. Mentors spend a minimum of 20 minutes per week communicating with numerous disadvantaged inner city and rural teens. All mentoring is accomplished over the Internet through a system available on the icouldbe website. Partners are encouraged to pose career-related questions, and mentors are asked to commit to at least one-year of service. The site provides areas to locate a mentor, help a partner, find out who's online, visit advice boards, find resources and download an instructor's guide. The organization operates in partnership with non profits and pro bono corporations as well as contributors and partners with major mentoring organizations. Contact.

• Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology Industries
  Nati, in partnership with CME and NEIA, provides a mentorship program in response to a need expressed by business leaders in the knowledge-based sector. These leaders indicated they could benefit from access to a mentor with high level business management experience and growth success to help coach them in areas such as financing, export development, and marketing. Potential mentors or mentees are encouraged to contact the mentorship coordinator who determines needs and seeks out and matches business leaders with complementing skills and expertise. After a successful match, the mentorship coordinator continues to establish a framework for the mentorship process along with guidelines. The coordinator helps both parties set clear and manageable expectations so that the process runs smoothly and that each business leader receives maximum benefit from the program. The mentorship coordinator plays a supporting role during the term of the mentoring relationship. The time commitment is designed to be manageable for both parties. To ensure commitment and defray costs, a minimal enrollment fee of $200 is required from the mentee. No data for assessing the impact of the program is available. Contact.

• American Medical Association Physician Mentor Registry
  This service provides a registry for physicians to become virtual mentors to other physicians. All mentoring is carried out by email and is available to premed, medical students, residents, and other new physicians. Physicians wishing to be mentors can complete an online registry form and create a profile for the Virtual Mentor Registry. Contact.

• Alberta Mentor Foundation for Youth (Calgary, Alberta)
  This not-for-profit organization helps students achieve their full potential through establishing one-to-one mentoring relationships with adults in the community. The organization is a leader for in-school mentoring and has assisted local school boards to establish mentoring programs. The provide recruiting, screening, and training for adult mentors at no cost. Screening includes (1) a written application with two reference checks, one personal and one professional; (2) a personal interview with AMFY staff; (3) a police check and a child welfare check; (3) a written psychological assessment (MMPI-2) which is administered and assessed by a chartered psychologist; and (4) a full-day comprehensive training workshop. Contact.

• On the Mark Tutor/Mentor Program (Palo Alto, California)
  This program serves youth ages 8-18 who want one-on-one academic tutoring and/or a supportive role model. The goal of the program is to make one-on-one matches between children who are in need of support because they may be at risk of academic failure or social isolation and caring volunteers who want to give back to the community. This includes children with mild developmental or learning disabilities. It also provides a meaningful volunteer opportunity for adults and teens to work with youth and become apart of a caring community. In addition to providing academic support, volunteers may also serve as mentors to youth in need of a positive role model. Volunteers may be adults, or mature teenagers taken on a case-by-case basis. Contact.

• Youth Assisting Youth (Toronto, Ontario)
  A community-based program that matches youth volunteers, aged 16-29 in a one-to-one relationship with at risk children aged 6-15. Since 1976, YAY's unique service has served over 10,000 children and youth. The success rate of the program is 98 percent (only 2 percent of past clients come into conflict with the law again). YAY was named the 2001 Winner of the Ruth Atkinson Hindmarsh Award for a charitable organization that makes the greatest difference in life prospects of children at-risk.

  A study done in cooperation with the Ontario Probation and Community Services concluded, "Youth Assisting Youth has been cost-effective in keeping children out of the criminal justice system." The estimated cost of retaining a juvenile in the justice system for a year is between $119,000 and $135,00. The cost of maintaining a YAY Peer Mentoring match for a year is $1,600. There is no fee to participate in YAY programs.

  Children are referred to YAY from community resources such as schools, social workers, doctors, community groups and child protection agencies. A home assessment is completed for each referral received to determine the needs of the child and family in order to find an appropriate volunteer. Youth volunteers are recruited from high schools, colleges, universities, churches and the work place. After an initial application, orientation and training sessions are held. An in-depth interview by a Match Coordinator, followed by thorough reference and police checks complete the application process. Matches are made according to common interests, needs and geographic location. When a suitable volunteer is found for a child, arrangements are made for the child, family and volunteer to meet. The match continues with monthly supervision by Coordinators and the Parent Support Worker. Consultations with other agencies and professionals are arranged when necessary.

  The program provides on-going support for the volunteers and the parents of children involved in the program. Through regular contact, the Match Coordinator and the Parent Support Worker help resolve issues that affect the youth/child match. Workshops on issues such as self-esteem, drug awareness, parenting, multiculturalism and child abuse provide important information for volunteers and parents. Contact Information.

• MatchPoint/Mentor Kids USA (Phoenix, Arizona)
  One of the largest faith-based mentoring programs in the U.S., this organization matches caring, Christian adults with at-risk kids. The mentors set aside 2-3 hours a week to be with a child as an adult friend, guide, and role model. Mentors are rigorously screened, including state and federal background checks. They receive comprehensive initial training, additional in-service training on a quarterly basis, and have regular contact with a Case Manager.

  MatchPoint targets youth between 8 and 15 (16-18 year olds may be considered in exceptional circumstances). All youth must demonstrate two of the following risk factors: (1) from a family with a parent or sibling in prison; (2) living in a single parent home; (3) any type of court contact; (4) evidence of substance abuse; (5) lagging behind in school or has dropped out; (6) living below the poverty line; or (7) a history of physical and/or sexual abuse. There is no charge for services and they provide at least two events per month that are free to mentors and a free summer camp for youth. Contact.

• Everybody Wins! (Washington, DC)
  This programs provides volunteers from partner companies and organizations to act as one-on-one reading mentors for local elementary schools. They have created a Power Lunch program that is guided by a handbook which includes standards, policies and tips on mentoring with children. Everybody Wins! provides the mentors, but individuals cannot sign-up to be mentors independently of their organization or business creating a partnership with Everybody Wins! Contact.

• Mentors, Inc. (Washington, DC)
  This is a private, nonprofit organization that pairs Washington, D.C. public high school students with trained adult mentors. It has provided mentors for nearly 3,300 young people since 1987 and its primary goal is to promote the academic, career and personal development of public high school students through one-on-one mentoring relationships and enrichment activities. They recruit mentors from businesses and community organizations and local and federal government agencies. Each prospective volunteer must: 1) fill out an application; 2) pass a criminal background check; 3) provide three character references; and 4) participate in four hours of training and orientation. In addition mentors must be 21 years of age, earned a high school diploma, and be willing to spend at least five hours a month with their partner and contact that student each week by phone or email. Results have shown that while the normal graduation rate in the school district is 65 percent, 95 percent of students graduate and continue to college, military service, or vocational training who work with mentors. Contact Information.

• YWCA Mentorship Program (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  This program partners young women from local secondary schools with professional women who act as female role models and who offer support and guidance regarding education and future career chocies to their mentees. Students apply to the program in September of each year, and mentor recruitment and training runs from September to November. Matches meet once a month from January to May. Contact Information.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire
  The mission of this organization is to empower children who face economic, emotional, and social challenges through a variety of programs which provide a professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationship with a positive role model.

  Our primary program, Community-Based Mentoring, matches one child with one caring adult mentor. Bigs, Littles, and parents/guardians agree to a six-month minimum commitment to the mentoring relationships, although most matches last much longer. Matches meet at least twice a month to play, talk or do homework. These meetings allow Littles to see a responsible adult functioning in society, interacting with others and providing role models for children.

  We provide a High5 Sports Mentoring program that serves boys and girls, aged 6 to 17 and takes place every Saturday at parks around the city. Littles and Bigs develop athletic skills in a one-to-one setting emphasizing teamwork and fair play, under the guidance of our Program Coordinators.

  We provide School-Based Mentoring that is the result of partnerships forged with some of our local schools. Bigs and Littles in one-to one matches share a minimum of one hour per week at the Little's school doing homework, reading, playing, or just talking. Each participating school is staffed with on-site Case Managers who monitor the relationships.

  Our Business Buddies program is In collaboration with the corporate, professional, and business community. This program introduces Littles to the workplace and to particular professions in such areas as: computers, accounting, science and medicine, business, architecture, the arts, television and film. Partner companies provide 5-10 mentors working in particular areas of interest to the boys and girls in the program. Littles are transported by BBBSGLAIE to meet with the Bigs at the partner company's place of business once a week for a period of six-weeks to six-months, depending on the site and project requirements. During the match sessions, the mentors introduce their Littles to their profession and develop short-term projects that give the children hands-on opportunities to explore these careers as avenues to success. Contact Information.

• The Wired Woman Society (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  Working with the Women in Trades and Technology National Network the WWS hopes to build a comprehensive on-line career resource centre with a substantial mentoring component. They plan to to have volunteer women who will act as virtual mentors and answer questions from other women, about their jobs. Contact Information.

• Women's Leadership Forum (Detroit, Michigan)
  Established by executive women in the Detroit area to help women move through the ranks through education, research, networking and scholarships. General Motors Corp has given the group a substantial financial gift to get started. Contact Information.

• Webgrrls (Toronto, Ontario)
  Webgrrl volunteers provide mentoring programs and learning opportunities for women and young girls in the Toronto-area community. They have more than 600 participants and focus on women working in or studying digital media who help each other out on a daily basis with advice, support and technical expertise. Mentors and partners often change roles since the field is changing so rapidly and the the emphasis of the mentoring is on learning. A unique part of the service is a Mother-Daughter Internet Clinic where women and girls of all ages about Internet basics with an emphasis on showing young girls in the community what opportunities are available to them in the IT industry. Contact Information.

• Girls' E-Mentoring Program (GEM-SET) (USA)
  - This program connects high school girls with professional women in the science, engineering and technology fields. Their primary goal is to increase student participation in these career areas. The program is available in ten regions throughout the United States and each region has a coordinator as well as partner organizations. At present the program includes about 500 students and 100 mentors. Mentoring takes place primarily through email discussion, but students must have the permission of the their parent or guardian to participate. Contact Information.

• Women in Motion (Toronto, Ontario) - This organization has created and maintains three mentoring programs for women and girls. Opportunities Unlimited pairs mentors with females (16-29) who are at-risk. The goal is to assist the girls and women to return to school or gain employment. Mentors and partners attend events where interactive workshops bring them together to explore personal success topics. They maintain their mentoring partnerships between sessions through email. LinkIT is a mentoring program that emphasizes career transition into the information technology industry. Step UP and Lead! is a leadership focused program for high school girls. Outcomes vary from program to program, and as of November, 2001 the three programs have resulted in over 200 pairings. Contact Information.

• Wings and Heroes (Mentors in Motion) (Angus, Ontario)
  A growing organization that brings caring women with business skills together with women who are just developing their wings in these areas. Evolved from support for home-based businesses and has now grown into a number of chapters across Canada. Contact Information.

• YMCA of Greater Toronto Innovations in Mentorship (Toronto, Ontario)
  Supported by funding from Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), the YMCA has created a series of youth internship programs. The YMCA completes screening, matching, and training for both youth and their mentors and the youth engage in work preparation activities prior to being placed in their intern position. Mentors also receive on-going support from the YMCA staff. The YMCA also provides an evaluation of the success of the program.

  In addition the YMCA provides a Black Achievers Mentor program where the emphasis is on providing role models for black youth, ages 12-21, from the Toronto area. The youth receive workshop training in a number of work life areas and are matched with mentors who have made significant contributions to their community from a variety of fields. The mentors receive a number of support services from the YMCA. Contact Information.

• Mentorprise (Concord, Ontario)
  Mentorprise is a research- and practice-based partnership among businesses, universities, colleges, the York Region Neighbourhood Services, inc., and Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC). They assist organizations to find solutions to a variety of business problems through the use of mentoring. In addition to matching mentors and partners, they also provide a newsletter, a mentoring guide, and mentoring seminars. Contact Information.

• Team London for Youth (London, Ontario)
  A mentor program is being developed to recruit volunteer mentors. Proteges will be recruited from Western Ontario University and the local college. The Team helps volunteer mentors find a set period of time to participate, such as, one hour a month on the phone, or a half-hour meeting with a student twice a month. There are clear limits on what is expected. The type of contact is flexible-whatever works for volunteer and student. Organizers are going to business and trade groups, using their existing volunteer network, and hoping to find someone willing to recruit and organize mentors within their organization. Problems include: (1) the program needs someone to energize and maintain it; (2) volunteer mentors say lack of time is their biggest concern (not money or privacy issues); and (3) the term "mentoring" scares potential mentors away. They think it implies a long term, intensive commitment. Contact Information.

• Prometheus Project (Montréal, Québec)
  This bilingual organization, also known as Les Jeunes Associés en éducation, provides partnerships with community, business, and government to create innovative projects which seek to motivate and empower youth. They provide workshops on mentoring to local groups and have sponsored a mentoring program that has since 1992 matched over 200 adolescents with mentors. One of the innovative projects initiated by this organization was a co-sponsored research project which involved thirty young people who had received mentoring discussing from their point of view the qualities of the "perfect" mentor. The organization then used this data to refine their selection and training activities. Several corporate organizations provide support and services for their innovations. Contact Information.

• Career Edge (Toronto, Ontario)
  Facilitates internships between youth (high school, college, or university) and 100Õs of businesses across Canada. Each business or host organization must follow a code of conduct and workplace guidelines. One of the guidelines recommends that the host organization provide a mentor/coach for each intern. Once the host organization is approved, the opportunities are posted on the Career Edge website (www.careeredge.org) where prospective interns browse the options available. Host organizations review all candidates and commit to providing the intern with the guidance of a mentor/coach, financial compensation and regular feedback on his or her performance. Career Edge also provides mentor program training workshops for various host organizations. Contact Information.

• Business Round Table (Moncton, New Brunswick)
  This organization specializes in guided mutual mentoring groups for small business owners. Entrepreneurs are placed in a group with about ten others and selected so that there are no conflicts of interest. Each participant agrees to a non-disclosure statement regarding anything discussed in the group. Each group meets once a month for about 3 hours. The members help each other solve problems, prevent mistakes and maximize their opportunites by tapping into the collective wisdom of the group. Fees vary depending upon location but typically are about $700 per year and groups are established in various cities in Canada. Contact Information.

• Ask the Employer.com
  Ask the Employer is an e-mentoring career advancement site where registrants can search for an online mentor, or sign up to become a professional mentor. Plus offers career advice, job-hunting tips and small business information. Free of charge to both registrants. Contact Information.

• Find a Mentor (Edmonton, Alberta)
  This organization provides a database and matching service for mentors and apprentices in hundreds of areas. They provide two levels of service (free and fee-based) but both enable indviduals to find (or be) mentors. Contact Information.

• STARTech Mentor Network
  STARTech is a high-tech business accelerator or business incubator. Their experts work with startup companies in the early stages to develop their business plans and mature their enterprise until they receive first round funding. STARTech also assists startups with professional expertise through our extensive network of stakeholders, mentors, and entrepreneurial organizations. Contact Information.

• Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership (New York, New York)
  A not-for-profit, educational organization that provides leadership development and ethical training to women who lack the resources and knowledge to actualize their visions of leadership involvement into practical realities. The organization targets both the unique training needs of diverse young women ages 21 to 28 in the early stages of their professional and personal lives, and women already in mid-level leadership positions with their profession. They provide training, retreats, forums, and mentors. Contact Information.

• PeaceMakers Mentoring Service Inc. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
  Their goal is to provide quality service to children and families on probation and in protective services. Their mission is to be an active part of the lives of all families they have contact with and bring about lasting change to the communities they serve. They are members of the National Mentoring Partnership. Contact Information.

• Bolder Options (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
  A mentoring program that pairs high-risk youth with adult runners and cyclists. The youth run and bike with the volunteer mentors and both the youth and mentors attend an adventure learning day in addition to various cycling and running events. The youth also participate in educational discussions with community leaders and engage in community service projects. Contact Information.

• Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (New York, NY)
  This organization provides young people (from middle schools through colleges) of color from around the US to gain work experience in top level corporations in the New York area. When a young person is accepted into the program they are matched with an alumni mentor (from previous SEO placements) and a mentor from within their work firm. The organization started in 1963 as one of New York City's first high school mentoring programs. Currently it typically places about 1000 students per year. Contact Information.

• Tutor/Mentor Connection (Chicago, Illinois)
  T/MC has been established to support and expand mentoring initiatives throughout the city. The organization creates hands-on learning opportunities for youth such as projects which involve science, math and arts curriculum areas and matches the student participants with mentors from businesses which specialize in those areas. The mentors also try to establish connections with parents in order to help them learn how to support such activities at home and in the community. Contact Information.

• After School Action Programs (Chicago, Illinois)
  A network of thirty neighbourhood organizations including congregations, ethnic associations, and other non-profits located in the Chicago area. ASAP helps smaller organizations leverage resources through cooperation and partnerships to extend the use of mentors in a variety of ways. One partnership is with Loyola University which is often seeking ways to place their students in community service activities. ASAP does all the work to recruit and sustain youth involvement and then makes it possible for organizations who want to mentor youth to have both the youth and facilities for such mentoring to take place. Other partners who use the services of ASAP include the Chicago Aquarium, the EPA, DePaul University, the Variety Club, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and the Dance Center of Columbia College. Contact Information.

• Southeastern Minnesota Private Industry Council (Rochester, Minnesota)
  This organizations assists employers to establish mentoring programs. They provide consultation and materials, including contract agreements useful for the mentors and partners, role clarity statements and sample career development plan charts. Contact Information.

• Minnesota School-Age Care Mentoring Project
  Helps sustain and enhance school-age care programs in the state of Minnesota. Its emphasis is on helping to build and support quality programs. Mentoring can range from an informal casual relationship to a highly structured, intense interaction. The Mentoring project is designed to fall somewhere in the middle. The Mentoring relationship is designed to be fluid and to have periods of intense interaction interwoven with less intense periods. Although the frequency of the relationships is mandated, the content and outcome of each interaction is not specified as long as the results are responsive to local needs and clearly benefit children, youth and families. Mentors are trained to adapt and adjust to the needs and realities of each unique situation. Participants will: engage in a supportive partnership to identify/share resources, identify special issues relative to the site/individuals, develop/enhance problem solving abilities, develop knowledge, skills and abilities in the field, increase awareness on issues related to quality programming, foster self esteem and build confidence in providers by listening, providing appropriate information, encouraging exploration of options, and maximizing the mentor partner relationship Contact Information.

• Women's Organization for Mentoring, Education and Networking (WOMEN) Unlimited Inc. (Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois: New York, New York; Orlando, Florida; Islip, New Jersey)
  Companies pay $3,000 for the year-long program for each protege they enroll. Participants receive monthly training sessions on topics including self-assessment, leadership skills and time management, and meet with mentors 2 hours a month. Contact Information.

• Harvard Mentoring Project (Boston, Massachusetts)
  Initiated in 1997 this project focuses on communication as a means to develop youth to adult mentoring. They provide the impetus to a variety of entertainment industry organizations to provide information to the public about the importance of mentoring and they sponsor a number of public service oriented initiatives. Contact Information.

• Women-to-Women Peer Mentoring Program (San Francisco, California)
  This program pairs women who can teach with women who want to learn. Persons looking for a mentor can register talents in the Mentor database and then search for a mentor who can provide assistance. The database protects privacy and the organization can also provide a place for mentoring to occur. Contact Information.

• Solano Mentor Development Collaborative (Vallejo, California)
  The mission of the Solano Mentor Collaborative is to establish a strategy to build the capacity of countywide mentoring programs and to increase the number of adult mentors offering community youth a means to make positive choices. Contact Information.

• Pasos De Experiencia/JUMP Mentoring Project (South El Monte, California)
  An intergenerational project that targets Latina women. They match adolescent girls 11-14 with professional women in the community over age twenty-one. Their goal is to help these girls graduate from high school and go on to college. They would also like to delay the onset of sexual activity in these girls to decrease the chance of teenage pregnancy. There is no charge for their services and they provide training for all mentors and mentees. Mentees are recruited from the local schools. They are targeted as the "at-risk-youth". The mentees go through a ten week workshop that teaches them how to get into college and how pregnancy effects adolescents. The mentors also go through a series of trainings, typically three two-hour sessions to prepare them for their relationship with their mentee. Contact Information.

• The California Mentoring Initiative-CMI (Sacramento, California)
  Designed to reduce alcohol/other drug use, teen pregnancy, educational failure, and gangs and violence by recruiting and training 250,000 mentors to reach 1 million at-risk young people. Contact Information.

• The Mentoring Coalition of San Diego County (San Diego, California)
  The mission of the Mentoring Coalition of San Diego County is to encourage, develop, strengthen and sustain quality mentoring relationships in their region. They are one of the largest youth mentoring coalitions in the state of California with approximately 200 members. There are no costs for membership and they have free monthly meetings, as well as a free list service for those interested in youth mentoring issues. They provide a variety of free trainings, and they are usually monthly. Contact Information.

• Cyber-Sisters (Eugene, Oregon)
  A mentoring organization that connects female university students to middle school girls. Although expert knowledge in math and science are not necessary, the project emphasizes building relationships and through creating projects in math, science, or technology. Contact Information.

• Mentor Links (Fallon, Nevada)
  This organization provides adult mentors for at-risk youth aged 10-17. No fees are involved and mentors receive eight hours of training plus ongoing training on a monthly basis. Contact Information.

• One on One Mentoring (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  Provides a variety of mentoring programs for youth focusing on the school to career transition. Also provides support for a church based mentoring program. Contact Information.

• One to One! The National Mentoring Partnership (Washington, D.C.)
  Established in 1989, One to One's mission is to increase the availability of responsible personal and economic mentoring for America's young people. The partnership has offices in twelve major metropolitan areas. In many of these cities, the partnership provides a forum for existing mentoring programs to meet and share ideas, concerns and successes in order to promote the development of quality mentoring programs throughout the city. A directory of programs is available in each city. Contact Information.

• America's Promise: The Alliance for Youth (Alexandria, Virginia)
  This is the multi-year national campaign that will propel the mission and goals of the 1997 President's Summit forward. America's Promise will continue mobilizing national and local commitments from all sectors; it will track, monitor and publicly report progress toward the goals set at the Summit; it will carry out extensive marketing and awareness efforts to inspire new commitments and to promote the five fundamental resources. Has inspired hundreds of major organizations, universities, corporations to initiate public service activities, including mentoring.Contact Information.

• The National Center for Workforce Preparation: A Division of the National 4-H Council (Chevy Chase, Maryland)
  Designed to promote immediate, practical application of skills learned in the classroom by working at the job site. Students are provided with mentors and coaches who guide their learning while linking it to the math, science, English, technology and other academic courses. This highly successful program is a joint effort of Honda Dealerships and the 4-H Council. Contact Information.

• Telementoring Network (Irvine, California)
  This resource provides examples of different types of models of telementoring, including a list of telementoring resources, program