April 2018
Here's to Volunteers!
It's National Volunteer Week, an opportunity to celebrate the impact of volunteer service and the power of volunteers to come together to tackle tough challenges and build strong communities. This week and every week, VMP extends a heartfelt  THANK YOU  to the volunteers committed to mentoring, including mentors, our AmeriCorps VISTA members, VMP board members, and those who advocate and build support for mentoring as a critical strategy throughout the Commonwealth. 

How else can you get involved to support volunteer mentoring efforts for Virginia's youth?


April is Financial Literacy Month

Throughout April, celebrate Financial Literacy Month. Research has shown that American teens rank below half of their peers in other developed economies when it comes to financial literacy. Mentoring can play an important role in helping young people develop and maintain healthy financial habits – habits that are essential to their future success. Check out this blog post from MENTOR for some tips to engage with mentees on the topic of financial literacy.

VMP is proud to partner with corporations like Virginia Credit Union dedicated to improving financial education for young people. Click here to learn more about their valuable educational resources.
Service Spotlight
VMP AmeriCorps VISTA Recruitment Specialist Brianna Bennett has been hard at work promoting opportunities to volunteer with mentoring programs in the greater Richmond area. This month, she was featured in a radio interview with Marcus Johnson on his Legacy Internet Radio program, "Ain't No Half Steppin with Marcus J." They discussed the need for mentors and benefits of mentoring, and shared more information about getting involved. Watch and listen to Brianna's full interview here .
Upcoming Events
April 24th, 4-5pm - Motivational Interviewing Overview Workshop - Register Here
Motivational Interviewing is a person-centered approach developed to help people resolve ambivalence about change, and to help explore whether decision-making around behavior is aligned with a person's overall goals. In this workshop, Linda Hancock from VCU's Wellness Resource Center will provide an overview of Motivational Interviewing as a technique. 

May 1st and May 15th, 5:30-8pm - New Mentor Training Session - Register Here
Participants will gain a solid understanding of: a mentor’s role, relationship-building techniques, stages of relationship development, reporting requirements, communication, setting boundaries, and the positive youth development framework. We welcome current mentors, program staff, and anyone interested in improving their mentoring or youth development skills.

What's Happening Around the State

VMP might be headquartered in Richmond, but our organization has an impact on mentoring reaches across the Virginia. Here's a little bit about some great things happening in other regions.
Petersburg Area

Programs in the Tri-Cities region are invited to attend VMP's spring quarterly mentoring network gathering. We will be discussing opportunities for shared training and educational opportunities.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 1st 9:00am at Petersburg Public Library. Please RSVP to Betsy Bilharz.
Virginia Beach

Longtime VISTA host site and previous Outstanding Mentoring Program award winner  Virginia Beach READS mentor-tutoring program pairs struggling first grade readers with volunteer tutors. For Read Across America Day, VMP VISTA Mary Katherine Zimmerman recruited volunteers to read to students and distributed 5400 books!

Charlottesville

In May, VMP will host a follow-up training on Motivational Interviewing for mentors and program staff, facilitated by Charlotte Chapman of the UVA Women's Center. Mentors will spend the day practicing the MI framework of partnership, acceptance, compassion and evocation to help facilitate behavioral change in young people.