|
Register soon for these great professional development opportunities!
|
Train the Trainer: Mentor Training
When: November 1, 2010
9:30 am- 4pm
Where: NorthStar Cooperative, 3655 Forest Rd., Lansing
 This engaging workshop presents mentoring program staff with the basics they need to get mentor trainings underway. Participants learn how to facilitate a training session in a non-intimidating setting with the opportunity to find or test their training style and receive feedback. Participants also have the unique chance to try activities from the mentors' perspective while their fellow participants facilitate. After each activity, the full group has the chance to discuss what they discovered during the activity, from their perspective as either facilitators or as trainees. This reflection allows everyone the opportunity to share what did or did not work and to discuss how to alter their presentation techniques or the activity to best suit the situation in their mentoring program.
Over 350 individuals have attended Train the Trainer: Mentor Training since 2007. 71% of participants have used the materials from the training within their own programs. Here are what a few participants had to say about the workshop: "I really liked that everyone had a chance to facilitate activities and I also liked that we had assigned seating, which forced us (in a good way) to engage with participants we didn't know that well."
"The training was effective because it was hands on. By actually leading and participating in every activity, the training kept my attention and I was able to take in more information than had it been lecture based." New AmeriCorps members within the Mentor Michigan College Coaching Corps and mentoring program staff, new or experienced, are encouraged to attend this training. This is a wonderful chance for experienced program staff to gain new advice and tips about mentor training from other mentoring professionals!
Register today! Train the Trainer: Mentor Training is session number 7037. Social Networking: Boundaries & Professionalism WebinarWhen: Tuesday, November 30,  2010 at 10am Should you friend mentors in your program? Is it acceptable for mentors and mentees to be connected via a social network? Social networking (i.e. Facebook, MySpace, etc.) can be a tremendous resource. It can also be confusing for program staff, mentors and participants. This webinar is designed to provide information to inform social networking policies in mentoring programs. Register today! Social Networking: Boundaries and Professionalism is session number 7048. You can find information on other upcoming workshops and webinars by downloading our professional development schedule from the Michigan 4-H Youth Mentoring website. |
Communication Tips: I Messages
| Disclaimer: This new section of the newsletter is designed for mentoring programs to use within their newsletters. Feel free to cut and paste!
Good communication skills are important to have within a match. An important component of good communication skills are good listening skills, which involve hearing and listening to the message, interpreting the message, evaluating the message, and responding to the message. Responding to the message is critical to clear communication and provides feedback to tell the speaker that his or her message was heard, understood, and evaluated.
One way of responding to the message involves using "I Messages". "I Messages" are phrases that allow you to express your own feelings about a behavior, attitude, or words that are bothering you, without turning the message into a critique. Examples of "I Messages" include:
"When I don't know why you are angry, I don't know how to support you"
"It makes me frustrated when you're not here for a scheduled visit." NOT "You are really irresponsible by not being here when you said you would be."
"I Messages" require concentration and promote attentive listening. They let the person know that you are tuned into what they are saying and making an effort to understand their feelings. They encourage the speaker to continue talking and are non-judgmental. They allow you to express your own feelings in a non-critical way.
Try using the following format to practice using "I Messages".
1. Choose a feeling you are having and write down the situation/problem.
2. Describe the behavior that is causing the problem.
3. State how you feel or what you think when you encounter that behavior.
4. Describe the behavior you want or need to change how you feel.
I feel _________ when ________ because_______. What I
need/want/would like is ____________________________.
|
Welcome Kristy!
| Michigan 4-H Youth Mentoring is excited to welcome Kristy Oosterhouse to our team! Kristy is a second year AmeriCorps member. She served her first year with the Eaton County MSUE STOMP program and continues her service under the new Mentor Michigan College Coaching Corps AmeriCorps program. This year she will continue her service to STOMP and provide support to statewide 4-H mentoring efforts such as the Guided Adventures curriculum, the Mentoring News and Mentors on the Move.
 | Kristy (right) with Clinton County MSUE AmeriCorps member Andrea Villanueva |
As part of her service, Kristy will be creating training activities, newsletter articles and videos designed to help mentors in their efforts to promote academic success and help young people plan for ongoing education. You can use these tools in your training, newsletter or on your website.
Kristy is excited to share resources and success stories through this newsletter and social networking sites. Please help her by sharing your stories, upcoming events and other news. Send all information, press releases, and even opinions and content suggestions for this newsletter to Kristy Oosterhouse at oosterh6@msu.edu.
|
|
|
|
|

|
MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thomas G. Coon, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing,MI 48824. This information is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned.
|
|
|