Iowa Mentoring Partnership October Newsletter

OCTOBER 2015

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QUARTERLY REPORT

The IMP Quarter 1 report for certified programs is available here and is due Friday, October 30th before midnight. Thank you for providing your data and feedback.

REGISTRATION FOR IMP PROGRAMS

As a benefit of IMP membership, each certified mentoring program receives one free 2-day registration to the 2015 Iowa Nonprofit Summit, November 9-10 in Ames.
IMP SAFE training is Monday at noon, IMP breakfast is Tuesday as well as other mentoring sessions. Lots of volunteer and program management offerings for mentoring programs on either day.

· You must register by Oct 19^th to receive one free registration.

· Select Iowa Mentoring Partnership designee to receive the one free registration. If you do not, you will be charged for the registration cost. After completing the registration process, your registration will be pending until approved by the IMP.

· Additional staff are encouraged to attend as the conference covers a wide range of non-profit and volunteer management topics. They must register as a general attendee.

· Lodging and travel expenses are the responsibility of each mentoring program. A group rate of $65 is available and information is provided on the NP Summit website.

· Registration and complete conference information available here: www.regonline.com/npsummit2015

NONPROFIT SUMMIT AWARDS
Deadline to submit nominations for Iowa Nonprofit Awards is Oct. 15.

These awards recognize a variety of nonprofit organizations, professionals and volunteers for their work in making Iowa communities thrive. Recipients will be recognized during one of the morning plenary sessions Nov. 9 or 10. Additional details

ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE PRACTICE 4th EDITION

The new edition of the research based standards for creating and sustaining quality youth mentoring programs is now available from MENTOR, the National Mentoring Partnership. If you missed the webinar presentation with discussion, the recording is available here. MENTOR will be providing standardized training on the new Elements to mentoring partnerships to share with local mentoring programs in 2016.

IDPH AmeriCorps Mentoring Project

Applications are due October 19th for the Iowa Department of Public Health AmeriCorps Mentoring Program, which will provide funding for mentoring programs to host AmeriCorps members. Up to thirty AmeriCorps members will be placed at mentoring programs

across Iowa to help strengthen programs in the areas of building community partnerships, mentor/mentee recruitment, mentor/mentee or parent training, curriculum development and sustainability planning. The Q and A period with IDPH is open now. Additionally, Sarah Walker at BBBS of the Mississippi Valley has managed an AmeriCorps program for several years and is happy to share ideas about utilizing national service members to strengthen your program. Contact Sarah at swalker@bbbs-mv.org or 563.323.8006 ext 206.

SCORE A TOUCHDOWN FOR IOWA YOUTH!

We are right in the middle of the 2015 Coaches Mentoring Challenge. In August, over 1,200 people signed up across the U.S. Join this FREE effective national mentor recruitment campaign.

One easy way for all IMP programs to participate in this recruitment and awareness campaign is IOWA COACHES CHALLENGE JERSEY DAY on OCTOBER 16th! Ask individuals, local businesses, and schools in your area to wear their favorite jersey in support of your mentoring program. Check out the Iowa Coaches Mentoring Challenge Facebook Event Page and be sure to like it, share it, and invite your friends to the event! Don't forget to take pictures and use the hashtag #CoachesMentoringChallenge.

Other ways IMP programs can get involved:

Check out the 2015 Coaches Challenge Playbook for participation ideas
Connect with local college and high school programs for promotions. All high school football coaches have received an invitation to participate
Utilize the media toolkit to promote your local campaign

Facebook

Website

CALENDAR

Oct 1 Quarterly Report opens

Oct 3 American Graduate Day airs on PBS

Oct 15 Collaborative Webinar: School Based Mentoring: Strengthening Relationships with School Districts-12pm

Oct 16 Iowa Coaches Mentoring Challenge Jersey Day

Oct 19 Iowa Nonprofit Summit Registrations deadline

Oct 19 IDPH AmeriCorps Grant Application deadline

Oct 29 IMP WIGGIO Webinar

Oct 30-Iowa 21st Century Grant Letter of Intent due

Oct 30-Coaches Challenge Report Due

Oct 30 IMP 15-16 Q1 Report Due

Resources

Don’t Quit on Me What Young People Who Left School Say About the Power of Relationships The "Don’t Call Them Dropouts" report offers new insights about how support from adults and peers can help to close the graduation gap

Happy Medium's Grace Wenzel recently blog discusses volunteering; how she got started, what she's learned while doing it and why others should consider volunteering as well.

Sparks and Thriving Search Institute has engaged in extensive research on why some young people thrive, while others just "get by". Take a look at the key research publications that have grown out of this work.

STEM EVENTS

Throughout the Month: Science Center of Iowa has an array of activities taking place this month focused on young girls interested in STEM.

Oct 10 Uncle Ike Nature Program is for children in grades 1-5 (and their families). They'll explore the Monarch life cycle and migration and program their Monarch-bot (robot) to "travel" to Mexico. They'll also hike along the bike trail and enjoy a wagon ride up to the Observation Tower (weather permitting). 9-11am Marshalltown.

Oct 13 Iowa Hunger Summit: Although this summit is focused on Iowan leaders talking about hunger and poverty in the state, there is a talk from Whispering Roots with a STEM focus. And it's free to attend!

WHAT IS WIGGIO?

Still wondering how to utilize this resource other than receiving daily updates? Join our Webinar on Oct 29 and find out how to utilize the IMP WIGGIO page to share ideas, resources, and best practices with your colleagues. Start engaging now by answering a poll question and check on responses from others.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Good Neighboor Citizenship Company Grants