For over 20 years, MENTOR Vermont has brought the mentoring community together, championing high-quality youth mentoring relationships. As a MENTOR Affiliate, we infuse nationally recognized and evidence-informed best practices in mentoring, statewide. We work to empower youth by providing support and resources to Vermont’s youth mentoring field. OUR MISSION:
MENTOR Vermont leads, expands, and str
engthens the mentoring movement, building capacity to make high-quality relationships accessible to all young people. OUR VISION:
MENTOR Vermont drives equity through quality mentoring, so every young person in Vermont has the supportive relationships they need to grow and thrive. OUR WORK:
- CENTERING QUALITY
MENTOR Vermont aims to improve the quality and broaden the reach of youth mentoring in Vermont. Most mentoring programs are staffed by just one person, often in a part-time role. Program staff balance the hands-on management of matches, recruitment, and fundraising and do not have the capacity to review new mentoring research and design training curricula. MENTOR Vermont’s training strengthens the quality of local mentoring relationships through research-based effective practices and enables program staff to focus more time on supporting matches.
-ENHANCING PUBLIC WILL
MENTOR Vermont strategically leverages social channels, earned media, marketing materials, storytelling, and public events to convey diverse and authentic representation of youth mentoring. Building awareness is thoughtfully planned to destigmatize, inform, and inspire more Vermonters to get involved in youth mentoring.
-ADVANCING THE MENTORING MINDSET
In order to meet the needs of Vermont youth, MENTOR Vermont must work with a range of stakeholders to broaden the scope of mentoring. While there will always be a need for structured one-to-one youth mentoring, we will not close the mentoring gap solely through a singular model. MENTOR Vermont recognizes that everyone has the ability and opportunity to offer mentor-like support to the young people in their lives. Instilling a mentoring mindset helps inform and foster relationship-rich environments — helping teachers, coaches, crossing guards, neighbors, and others surround youth with a web of support
-INCREASING SUSTAINABLE FUNDING
MENTOR Vermont provides annual funding directly to youth mentoring agencies, investing in the creation and support of quality, long-term youth mentoring relationships. This grantmaking remains the only statewide mentoring-specific funding available in Vermont.
