Earlier this month Mentor Michigan made its brand new resource - the College Positive Mentoring Toolkit - available online at www.mentormichigan.org.  

Mentor Michigan and Michigan Campus Compact developed the College Positive Mentoring Toolkit, designed to provide mentors with information, conversation starters, match activity ideas, and ready-to-use activities, to help their mentees take important steps towards higher education. Resources include those geared towards youth in elementary, middle, and high schools.

Additional resources are also available, including Talking Points About Your College, Exploring Possible Careers, Ways to Pay for College, and Frequently Asked Questions.

To view the resources, simply visit http://www.michigan.gov/mentormichigan/0,1607,7-193--257240--,00.html.

A complete electronic version of the College Positive Mentoring Toolkit is available on the Mentor Michigan website for free. You can also order hard copies of the Toolkit for $12.00 each by the Mentor Michigan website and filling out a form. Visit www.mentormichigan.org for more information.

In April, the Detroit Pistons and Mentor Michigan awarded 11 mini-grants as part of the first-ever Detroit Pistons Mini-Grants. The Detroit Pistons Mini-Grants were made available to Mentor Michigan thanks to funds acquired through ticket sales from the "Mentoring Night at the Palace" Detroit Pistons game on January 22, 2011. Mentoring programs utilized mini-grants to host structured match activities throughout the spring and summer that promote college access and encourage mentees to think about post-secondary education.

The H.O.P.E. Mentoring Program - Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative

On Friday, June 10, Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative (MYOI) and the Midland/Isabella Department of Human Services (DHS) hosted a panel presentation in which three former foster youth who successfully managed the transition from the foster care system to college shared their stories and wisdom. The event was titled "From Foster Care to Success: College and You!"

Three young women affiliated with the MYOI spoke at the event, shared their experiences and offered advice to current foster care youth, their caregivers, and service providers, as well as gave practical information on scholarships and grants. Youth in foster care, parents, guardians, caseworkers, DHS personnel, and members of the community were all present at the event.

Panelist Sara Cometto advised foster youth in the audience to "make a decision of where you want to be with your life and take charge! Dream big. Dream extremely big. You're going to do wonderful things."

Panelist Danielle Starnes discovered her passion as a cosmetologist and encouraged foster youth to explore all the options for post-secondary education, including 4-year colleges and universities, 2-year colleges, and technical and vocational schools.

Panelist Angela Hoffman, a recent graduate of Michigan Technological University, stressed the importance supportive foster parents and others in her transition to college and called upon all the caring adults in the audience to make a big difference through a simple card, letter, or phone call.

The event was a huge success, providing inspiration, advice, and practical information for foster youth making the transition into college!

Winning Futures

Winning Futures took high school students on a college tour at Oakland University. The goal of the college tour was to expose students to the benefits of continuing education and get them excited about pursing higher education and their career goals. For many of the students, this trip was their first time on a college campus.

During the event, students went on a guided tour highlighting important campus offices, various classrooms and classes, and the athletic offerings in the incredible Oakland University gymnasium! The students not only got to witness the academic environment, they also got a great "snapshot" of the social environment college life offers. They toured the dorm rooms, ate lunch in the campus cafeteria, and had a chance to visit several student organizations. The day ended with an inspirational talk by Dr. Reginald McCloud, Director of Pre-College Programs.

In addition to the college tour, matches participated in two sessions, "Preparing for College 101" and "Preparing for College 201" to help the students think strategically about their career goals, how college can help them get there, and the financial aid available to make college a realistic option.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Michigan Capital Region

On Wednesday, June 1, Big Brothers Big Sisters Michigan Capital Region hosted the agency's first Graduation Celebration at Perspective2 Gallery in Old Town Lansing. The event honored Littles in the program graduating high school and the success of their matches. Bigs and Littles matched from three to 11 years were in attendance, as well as families of the Littles.

Former Michigan State University football player TJ Duckett addressed the group, congratulating and encouraging them to continue on the path to success and give back to their communities. Additionally, AmeriCorps members serving within the agency presented college resources to assist the Littles in preparing for higher education, including: college applications, financial aid information, and awareness of the Michigan College Access Portal.
 

A big thank you to the Detroit Pistons for providing resources to allow these activities to happen! Check out their most recent newsletter that highlights the Detroit Pistons Mini Grants: http://www.palacenet.com/cr/spring11/.

Mentor Michigan would like to extend a huge thank you to Meijer for their fifth annual gift card promotion held this June to support mentoring in the state. This year, Meijer generously donated $2 to Mentor Michigan for every $25 or more gift card purchased on Friday, June 17 and Saturday, June 18. During that time Meijer raised thousands of dollars for Mentor Michigan and local mentoring programs!  

Funds raised this year will be available to mentoring programs across the state in the form of mini-grants by September 2011. Stay tuned to the Mentor Michigan listserv and website (www.mentormichigan.org) for more information on the future mini-grant opportunity.

Congratulations to Kris Marshall, chair of the Mentor Michigan Providers Council and CEO of Winning Futures for receiving a "WONder Woman Award" from the Women Officials' Network this past May.

Kris received the award for being a Distinguished Advocate for Youth. Winning Futures is a nonprofit, school-based mentoring program in Southeast Michigan for youth and teens based on character values, goal setting, and strategic planning.

The Women Officials' Network is an organization of elected officials,  

past and present, who promote women leaders in the public sector.

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July 7 & 8, 2011   

Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring Training
Minneapolis, Minnesota - Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota
For more information, click here.  

July 18 - 22, 2011    

Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring
Portland, Oregon - Portland State University
For more information, visit http://www.youthmentoring.ssw.pdx.edu/.

September 8 & 9, 2011   

Washington State Mentors Conference
Tukwila, Washington - Washington State Mentors
For more information, visit http://www.wamentors.org/.

September 11, 2011   

National Day of Service & Remembrance
Nationwide
For more information, visit http://911dayofservice.org/join_the_tribute.

September 7 - 9, 2011   

Global Youth Economic Opportunities Conference
Washington, D.C. - Making Cents
For more information, visit http://www.youtheconomicopportunities.org/.

October 22, 2011   

Make A Difference Day
Nationwide
For more information, visit http://www.usaweekend.com/section/MDDAY.

November 16, 2011  

Sixth Annual Michigan's Premier Mentoring Conference
Lansing, Michigan
For more information, visit www.mentormichigan.org.

November 17, 2011   

2011 Michigan's AmeriCorps Member Celebration

Lansing, Michigan
More information available soon at www.michigan.gov/mcsc.

Governor's Service Awards 

The Michigan Community Service Commission is excited to accept nominations for the 2011 Governor's Service Awards. These awards are given annually to individuals, organizations, and businesses who are committed to service and volunteerism in their communities.

Nominations are currently being accepted in the following categories, as it relates to mentoring:

• Outstanding Volunteer Program Award - honors organizations or clubs that make a difference in community life, including mentoring programs.
• Mentor of the Year - honors an individual who has made a significant difference in a child's life through mentoring.

  Facebook
To keep up to date with the latest Mentor Michigan and mentoring news, find Mentor Michigan on Facebook. Just visit www.facebook.com/mentormichigan and join other individuals currently following our efforts.

  Twitter
For an additional way to stay up to date with the latest Mentor Michigan and mentoring news and information, follow us on Twitter!  Search for @MentorMI and read our messages for the mentoring community.

Michigan National Service Directory 
Michigan's National Service Directory is a new tool designed to assist national service program staff and members to quickly identify the different groups and organizations in their area that have a similar programmatic focus for the purpose of establishing collaborative partnerships.The Directory may also be used to connect interested individuals with respective national service programs in their area and assist programs in member recruitment. Click here to find local AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve, and/or Senior Corps programs.

Service
Being a mentor is one of the most important things you can do for a child. If you're interested in gaining more information on becoming a mentor or looking for a local mentoring program, visit the Mentor Michigan website to utilize the mentoring program directory. Mentoring programs can be located by ZIP code. For more information, click here . 

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