A new section, called Community Data, has been added to this site. These pages will provide easy access to data that may be needed by grant writers, program developers, educators, and others working in the prevention field. Links to websites and locally compiled data will enable the user for find information about risk and protective factors in the Lancaster area. Try it out by clicking here.

The National Mentoring Center has created a new e-mail discussion group for mentors and mentoring program personnel. Staff of the National Mentoring Center are members of the group and will respond to specific questions or interests. For more information, go to the web page, which you can access from our Links page, and sign up! If you have questions, you can call the Center at 1-800-547-6339, extension 647.

You may have noticed that the domain name for this site has changed. The new, easier address is: mentorhelp.org. If you know anyone who might want to access this site, please pass along this new address. If you would like to be added to the mailing list, please contact us.

Lancaster, PA agencies and groups now offering mentoring programs, or those ready to start programs, can post their needs for volunteers on this site. These will be forwarded to the United Way Volunteer Center to be included in their volunteer listings. If you would like to include a statement of your needs, such as: age group of mentees, program type, characteristics of mentors needed, etc., click here. Include your e-mail address and we will list that in your posting for immediate response.

The National Mentoring Partnership has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish a National E-Mentoring Clearinghouse. The clearinghouse will provide mentoring programs with information and training on providing electronic mentoring for young people. The e-mentoring movement has expanded in recent years as programs find new ways to connect volunteers and youth. To meet the needs of this growing movement, the clearinghouse plans to create guidelines for safe e-mentoring; develop how-to-guides for programs looking to start or expand e-mentoring; and offer online and onsite training opportunities.

Recent information on the Partnership's web-site includes a Research Corner and a new section on Tele-mentoring. See the web site www.mentoring.org for more information.

Thinking of starting a mentoring program? There is a lot of help available on the web. Start with the National Mentoring Partnership, www.mentoring.org to see what it takes to start a new program.

The National Mentoring Center recently held a Regional Training Conference and unveiled their new Mentoring Training Curriculum. Copies of the curriculum are now available for you to borrow. You may also download the entire curriculum from the National Mentoring Center's website. A list of these materials is now available. Click here to access the list

Copies of all six of the National Mentoring Center's Technical Assistance Packets are available now. Contact us through the Contact Form or go to the Links page and log on to the National Mentoring Center's website.

Information Technology International has released a workbook entitled, Evaluating Your Program: A Beginner's Self-Evaluation Workbook for Mentoring Programs. This is available through the Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse. Use the Contact Form or call Sue Cooke.

The National Mentoring Partnership now has a complete on-line Mentor Training Program available. Prospective Mentors can take the course on-line for free. People who are already mentoring can benefit from the training, as well. The program includes a 32 page Toolkit that can be downloaded from the site. It is worth a look.

Five service organizations have set a goal to recruit one million mentors as part of a campaign to provide moral support to disadvantaged children in the United States, according to a recent Reuters report.

Over the next five years, Kiwanis International, Optimist International, Lions Clubs International, and Rotary International will work with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America to provide mentors to youth. Currently, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America provides one-on-one mentoring relationships between adult volunteers and children from single-parent families. "We've set a goal among us to recruit one million mentors to provide love and comfort to children around America. I can't think of a more noble goal for the organizations here," said President Bush, who led the ceremony to launch the program. According to a 1995 study, children participating in a mentoring program were less likely to use illegal drugs or alcohol, and less likely to skip school.

"For others around the country who are wondering how best to help a neighbor in need, I strongly urge them to think about joining one of these service clubs, a club whose sole existence is to help make America a better place," Bush said.