Created by the Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR, NMM marks its 11th year in 2012. By focusing national attention on the need for mentors, as well as how each of us — individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith communities and nonprofits — can work together to increase the number of mentors, we assure brighter futures for our young people.

Local partners across the country work to leverage the national campaign and recruit and raise awareness for mentoring in their communities. The goals of NMM are to:

• Raise awareness of mentoring in its various forms
• Recruit individuals to mentors, especially for those programs with youth on wait lists for mentors
• Promote the rapid growth of mentoring by recruiting organizations to engage their constituents in mentoring

For more information, visit www.nationalmentoringmonth.org.

Mass Mentoring's focus for National Mentoring Month 2012

This year, we have planned a comprehensive campaign to raise the awareness of mentoring, acknowledge and appreciate current mentors, and build capacity amongst the mentoring field, which falls in MENTOR's broader theme of "Invest in the future. Mentor a child." Throughout National Mentoring Month, our aim is to help our Massachusetts mentoring programs celebrate the everyday people who are making a difference for young people in their communities by providing:

• Promotional materials
• Customizable tools and ideas
• Technical assistance

The Massachusetts National Mentoring Month 2012 tool kit

This information-rich kit contains resources and ideas to help local mentoring programs promote their activities and thank their mentors. The four customizable projects contained in this toolkit have related links that will open as word documents so that you may customize them to the needs of your program.
MMP has designed the tools to help programs highlight their mentors. Moreover, the resources can serve as a strong mechanism that can assist programs in actively recruiting more mentors — happy mentors are more likely to talk about their positive mentoring experience and encourage their friends and colleagues to get involved!

• Tool kit
• Supporting documents:
  
  • Event flyer template
  • Food donation letter template
  • Mentor certificate
  • Op-ed template
  • Thank-your-mentor open house agenda
  • Breakfast sign-up sheet
  • Thank-your-mentor breakfast agenda
     

We want to know about your National Mentoring Month 2012 plans!

MMP would like to share the efforts of Massachusetts mentoring programs on our web site. Please let us know what your program will be organizing for National Mentoring Month 2012. Email Lauren Winfree with the details of your event so we can make great ideas like these available to all our Massachusetts mentoring programs:

• Partners for Youth with Disabilities is hosting a mentor appreciation brunch on Jan. 22
• Everybody Wins! Metro Boston is hosting a mentor appreciation event featuring a visual presentation of its Power Lunch program on Jan. 25
• Melrose Alliance Against Violence is hosting an appreciation dinner on Jan. 25
• Big Brothers Big Sisters at Child and Family Services in New Bedford is hosting an open house and appreciation night, and awarding match actvities on Jan. 26 at their office
• LUK, Inc. will host a mentor apreciation event on Jan. 26 at Columbia Tavern in Leominster. They also have a great new PSA
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County is hosting a volunteer recognition event on Jan. 31 at the Amherst College Alumni House
• The Newton Partnership is holding a refer-a-mentor raffle throughout January and an appreciation event on Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m., onsite
• AFC Mentoring is asking mentors to complete a survey and awarding those who do with a gift card to be used with their mentees
• Taunton Area School to Career is giving away keychains to mentors
• Catholic Charities South Boston T.E.A.M. is hosting a mentor of the year contest and appreciation night, on Jan. 19
• EMK Academy for Health Careers is hosting a dinner for mentors, on Jan. 23 at the Curry Student Center at Northeastern University
• Generations Inc. will host an appreciation breakfast for volunteers
• Family Service Inc. is hosting a mentor appreciation night on Jan. 26 at Heritage State Park

MMP's planned events and activities for National Mentoring Month 2012:

• Statewide public awareness campaign utilizing press releases, PSAs, op-eds, and social media. We will also use paid advertising, thanks to generous support from Staples, Inc.
• Free match activities for programs to offer their mentors and mentees
• Regular communications with mentoring programs
• MLK Day of Service, Jan. 16
• Youth Mentoring Day at the State House, Jan. 19
• And much more!