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Mentoring Program Holds Final Training & Celebration
National Native American Mentoring Program Club leaders traveled to Washington, DC this April where they participated in a training and celebration of the program’s accomplishments. The Mentoring Program has been in existence since 2004 when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provided funding for the Navajo Nation to operate a first of its kind national mentoring program in Indian Country. The Navajo Nation provided grants to 16 Native American Boys & Girls Club organizations in seven states to provide mentoring services to children of prisoners.
The recent training in DC was the final of the mentoring program’s three year initiative. Training participants met at the Navajo Nation Washington Office located on Capitol Hill. Meeting highlights included addresses by Navajo Nation Vice President, Ben Shelly and Mellor Willie, Director of Development for the National Congress of American Indians. During the 1 ½ day training, participants were provided with strategies for program sustainability, ideas for incorporating elders into the mentoring program, and an update on current program status. Participants also had the opportunity to visit the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.
The training concluded with a luncheon in celebration of the Program’s accomplishments. Participants were addressed by Mark Piccirilli of FirstPic, Inc. and Dr. Susan Weinberger of the Mentor Consulting Group. Mentor Program Coordinators were acknowledged for their contributions to this successful initiative. The National Native American Mentoring Program currently serves nearly 300 youth in seven states.
Boys & Girls Club program sites have reported that mentored youth demonstrate improved confidence and attitudes, decreased behavior problems, greater participation in Club activities, better school attendance and improved grades.
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