About the Institute

Overview

Portland State University is proud to present the 2012 Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring, July 23-27, 2012. The sixth annual Summer Institute offers a truly distinctive educational opportunity for experienced mentoring professionals. Participants attend an intensive week-long seminar presenting the latest developments in theory and research on youth mentoring. Each session is led by a prominent, internationally recognized research fellow. The aim is a series of highly interactive discussions that provide an in-depth view of the research and examine its implications for program policies and practices. Sessions include time for participants to think critically and creatively about their own program issues and explore opportunities for innovation. A fundamental premise of the institute is that a sustained dialogue between experienced professionals and researchers stimulates research with relevance to the field and enhances its translation to practical application. As a general theme, the 2012 Summer Institute will focus on innovative and non-traditional models of youth mentoring.

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2012 Research Fellows and Featured Speakers

Research fellows are selected for their expertise. Each fellow is an influential scholar who has made important contributions to the field of mentoring. Fellows give presentations and contribute their insights to the discussions throughout the week. >> Researchers who have participated in the Summer Institute

Institute Director

Thomas Keller, Ph.D.

The Duncan and Cindy Campbell Professor for Children, Youth, and Families with an Emphasis on Mentoring in the School of Social Work at Portland State University, and director of the PSU Center for Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research. Professor Keller studies the development and influence of mentoring relationships in school and community settings and the role of parent involvement in mentoring interventions. Prior to his Ph.D., he worked for several years with a Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate in Seattle as a caseworker, supervisor, and program director. Email: siym@pdx.edu

2012 Research Fellows

Sandra Christenson, Ph.D.

Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Christenson’s research focuses on interventions that promote student engagement with school and learning. She and her colleagues developed the Check & Connect program, in which mentors systematically monitor performance indicators for students at risk of disengaging from school and provide individualized support in problem solving, skill building, and fostering positive family-school relationships. Check & Connect has been extensively evaluated, with over 15 years of research and a designation as an evidence-based intervention for school retention by the U.S. Department of Education.

Mark Eddy, Ph.D.

Director of Research for Partners for Our Children, School of Social Work at the University of Washington. Previously, Dr. Eddy was a Senior Scientist with the Oregon Social Learning Center, where he conducted numerous studies of interventions for parents and children in conjunction with school systems, the juvenile justice system, and adult corrections. Dr. Eddy is the Principal Investigator of an NIH-funded randomized trial of the Friends of the Children program, which provides paid professional mentors for youth at risk for problems from kindergarten through high school.

Gabriel Kuperminc, Ph.D.

Professor and Chair of Community Psychology at Georgia State University. Professor Kuperminc studies the processes of resilience and positive youth development, and he has expertise on group mentoring as well as the role of mentoring within multi-component programs. Since 1999, he has evaluated the effectiveness of Cool Girls, Inc., a comprehensive youth development program that provides mentoring, tutoring, and life skills training to high risk, urban, preadolescent and early adolescent girls.

George Noblit, Ph.D.

Dr. Noblit is the Joseph R. Neikirk Distinguished Professor of Sociology of Education in the School of Education at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Professor Noblit has studied A+arts-enhanced schools, charter schools, and prison education for young offenders. He currently is investigating how the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate program builds the social networks of students and enhances their social mobility through mentoring, advocacy, enrichment, and leadership training.

Sarah Schwartz

Sarah Schwartz is a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology at University of Massachusetts-Boston. She has published studies investigating factors that influence the impact of school-based mentoring, including the relationship histories of students and the duration of mentoring relationships. She is completing her dissertation on the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, in which youth select an adult they know to serve as a mentor during and after participation in a residential training program.

2012 Featured Speakers

Sarah Geenen, Ph.D

Research Professor in the Regional Research Institute for Human Services at Portland State University. Professor Geenen conducts research on programs designed to enhance the self-determination of youth in foster care and youth with disabilities. She currently is conducting two major federally-funded randomized controlled trials on the effects of the My Life intervention for youth exiting the child welfare system and for youth in both foster care and special education. In the My Life program, youth have individual relationships with adult coaches and peer mentors (former foster youth) who support the development of self-determination.

Davielle Lakind

Davielle Lakind is a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Illinois-Chicago working with the Research Group on Mental Health Services for Urban Children and Families in the Institute for Juvenile Research. Previously she worked as a professional mentor with Friends of the Children in New York City, and she has conducted research on the nature of the role of professional mentors. 

Participants

To encourage an active exchange among professional peers and with researchers, the Summer Institute seminar is limited to 25 participants. Ideal participants have several years of experience in the field of youth development and are seeking an advanced level of professiona

l development. They are experienced professionals who hold positions enabling them to influence the training and supervision of staff, the development of program models, and the implementation of service delivery changes based on the latest advances in the field (e.g., CEO’s, program directors). Prospective participants complete a short application and provide a current resume. Space is limited to 25 participants. Participants are expected to attend the entire week-long seminar.

>> Applying for the Summer Institute

>> What our participants say about the Summer Institute

Costs

Tuition for the week-long seminar is $725. There is a special rate on lodging at University Place, a full-service hotel on the PSU campus. Scholarships and fellowships are available.

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2012 Dates

Summer Institute seminar will be held July 23 – July 27, 2012.

Applications and scholarship requests are due May 11, 2012.

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For More Information

Write to siym@pdx.edu or visit http://www.pdx.edu/youth-mentoring/

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Background on the Summer Institute Model

The Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring is in its sixth year and has become one of the premiere professional development opportunities in the field of youth work. The Institute is under the leadership of Thomas Keller, director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research and Campbell Professor in the School of Social Work at Portland State University. Each week-long Institute features leading mentoring researchers in a small-group format. The result is a think-tank atmosphere for delving deeply into program practice and innovation. The issues and themes discussed are wide-ranging, including all aspects of quality practice in recruiting, training, matching and supporting mentors and mentees. Each Institute also focuses on a theme of high importance to the field, such as mentoring in juvenile justice and child welfare systems, diversity in mentoring relationships, and mentoring in school settings (view publications and video presentations in our Learning Hub). The Institute venue is on the campus of Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. In addition to the Institute, we hold community events to disseminate the discussions from the Institute to practitioners and policy leaders.

The effectiveness of the Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring is the subject of a recent article in  Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and Engagement.  >>download article

Institute Director Thomas Keller, and participant McKeever Moham of the Dallas County Juvenile Department, explain the Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring and how it successfully bridges research and practice. >>view video

Our partners and sponsors

In addition to researchers and advanced practitioners, each Institute includes presentations by national (and international) technical assistance providers such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, MENTOR, the National Mentoring Center, Friends for Youth Mentoring Institute, the Australian Youth Mentoring Network and Oregon Mentors. Several organizations also sponsor scholarships for attendees, including BBBSA and the Oregon Community Foundation.

>> Find out more about our partners and sponsors