National Mentoring Center

The National Mentoring Center (NMC) is a project of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, Oregon. It provides such services as the following:

• Large-scale training conference and workshop design and implementation
• In-depth coaching and program consulting
• Electronic information resources on development and management
• Print material on development and dissemination
• Data collection and evaluation
• Support for state and national initiatives

NMC provides technical assistance and training and is the designated technical assistance provider for OJJDP’s JUMP program (see below). Among the resources to be found on the NMC Web site are the following:

• Publications, including Sustainability Planning and Resource Development for Youth Mentoring Programs; Marketing for the Recruitment of Mentors: A Guide to Finding and Attracting Volunteers; Training Youth Mentors; and Foundations of Successful Youth Mentoring: A Guidebook for Program Development.
• Technical Assistance Packets, including packets on recruiting, training, and supporting mentors; mentoring sexual minority youth; and measuring the quality of mentor-youth relationships.
• Forms for mentoring programs, including mentor application forms, parent permission forms, mentor activity log, and teacher referral forms.
• Strengthening Mentoring Programs Training Curriculum
• Online workshops and tutorials on such subjects as mentoring program development, sustainability, and pregnancy prevention.
• MentorExchange, an electronic mailing list for mentoring program coordinators, staff, and volunteers.

NMC also provides training and offers a lending library of books and materials on mentoring.