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Peer Mentoring Program

National Association of Foster Grandparent Program Directors (NAFGPD)

National Association of RSVP Directors, Inc. (NARSVPD)

Program Overview

 

 

What is the Peer Mentoring Program?

In October 2007, NAFGPD and NARSVPD were awarded a contract by the Corporation for National and Community

Service (CNCS) to design, implement and manage a Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program for new Senior Corps

Directors who have been on the job for 18 or fewer months.  Experienced Senior Corps directors who have managed

their Senior Corps project for at least 3 years serve as the mentors for their less experienced peers.  The Peer Mentoring

Program (PMP) is designed to provide new directors with personalized and meaningful mentoring that is grounded in

information laid out in the program handbooks and regulations, and is delivered by knowledgeable, seasoned, and

experienced fellow-director-mentors who have faced numerous project operations realities.  The Peer Mentoring

Project creates an organized system to link experienced project directors to novices.

 

The goal of this joint endeavor by NAFGPD and NARSVPD is to formalize and institutionalize peer mentoring

as an integral part of training for all new FGP, RSVP and SCP directors across the country

 

What are the qualifications of NAFGPD and NARSVPD to manage the PMP?

NAFGPD and NARSVPD have informally mentored new directors across the nation for over 35 years. 

All of the directors who serve on the Peer Mentoring Program Management team with Katharine Gregg,

the CNCS Contracts Officer Technical Representative (COTR), and Senior Corps staff, as well as

Mary Louise Schweikert, the Program Manager, have mentored many new directors in their long careers as

Senior Corps directors.  In addition, the Associations designed and managed a CNCS-funded formal peer

mentoring program several years ago.

 

What are the basic components of the Peer Mentoring Program?

After required orientation and training, each Mentor is:

·         matched with two new project directors per year;

·         delivers two face-to-face visits to each assigned new director;

·         develops a simple Mentoring Plan with each new director, detailing 3 to 5 knowledge areas

and/or skills upon which the mentoring will focus for the year;

·         available on an on-going basis for telephone consultation with the new project director for one year;


In addition, each Mentor:

·         makes regular email and telephone contacts with their assigned new project directors to answer

questions and assess the new project directors need for further assistance;

·         completes and submits minimal but required paperwork;

·         tracks contacts with their assigned new project directors, and

·         receives an honorarium and reimbursement for travel expenses for each face-to-face meeting.

 

As a Peer Mentor, what will I actually do?

New Senior Corps project directors have a great deal to learn as they assume their duties from

regulations and policy to effective practices.  While Corporation State Office staff are, and will remain,

the primary source of technical, policy interpretation, and compliance interpretation information to their

new project directors, there is great value in peer mentoring by experienced directors. 

 

As a peer mentor, you will:

·         Serve as an experienced source of practical programmatic or volunteer management information to your

new project director.

·         Identify 3 to 5 areas of need to work on with the new project director and help guide your new

project director to make the most of your time together to help ensure that the meetings or conversations

stay on track and address the issues raised.

·         Help connect your new project director to other resources that may have been helpful to you

particularly online resources.

·         Encourage your new project director to make use of materials and resources provided by the Corporation

including the Statute (Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973), Program Regulations, Project Director

Handbook, the Senior Corps list serve, and others.

·         Guide your new project director to develop a relationship and interact with their CSO when necessary.

·         Assist and advise your new project director on how to complete projects and program work, while

refraining from actually doing the work for the new director.

 

How can I participate as a Mentor in the Peer Mentoring Program?

If you have been on-the-job for at least 3 years and want to become a Mentor:

First, review the Mentor Selection Criteria (available from the PMP Manager) to make sure you qualify. 

If you qualify: Call your CSO program specialist and ask him/her to nominate you as a Mentor (using a form supplied by

the PMP Manager), or nominate yourself as a Mentor (using a form supplied by the PMP Manager).

 

In order for you to be selected as a Mentor, there must be 2 new directors who need a mentor located

within a reasonable driving distance from your project.

 

How can I receive the services of a Mentor if I am a new Senior Corps Director?

Requests for mentoring for new Senior Corps directors must come from CSO staff in your state. 

If you have been on-the-job for no more than 18 to 24 months and would like to work with a Mentor:

Call your CSO program specialist and ask him/her to request mentoring services for you (using a form supplied by the PMP Manager).

 

Questions?  Need a form?

If you have any questions or need copies of any forms, please feel free to contact the Peer Mentoring Program Manager,

Mary Louise Schweikert, at 570.713.8800 (voice) or gschweik@sunlink.net.


HELPFUL LINKS!

 

National Association of RSVP Directors - http://www.narsvpd.com

The National Association of RSVP Directors, Inc. (NARSVPD) was created in 1976 in Chicago, Illinois, at a meeting of interested RSVP Directors from across the country. Officers were elected and were charged with developing by-laws and operating practices. The organization was incorporated in the state of Indiana with a 501(c)(3) status.  The purpose of NARSVPD, Inc., is to provide visibility and advocacy for RSVP; a network of communications among RSVP Directors and projects; a vehicle for expression of majority opinion on behalf of RSVP and older Americans to the Corporation for National and Community Service, Congress and other appropriate governmental and national units.

 

Corporation for National and Community Service - http://www.cns.gov

The Corporation for National and Community Service plays a vital role in supporting the American culture of citizenship, service and responsibility. We are a catalyst for change and champion for the ideal that every American has skills and talents to give. The Corporation is the nation's largest grantmaker supporting service and volunteering. Through our Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, we provide opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to express their patriotism while addressing critical community needs.

 

Generations United - http://www.gu.org

GENERATIONS UNITED (GU) is the only national membership organization focused solely on promoting intergenerational strategies, programs, and public policies. GU represents more than 100 national, state, and local organizations representing more than 70 million Americans and is the only national organization advocating for the mutual well-being of children, youth, and older adults. GU serves as a resource for educating policymakers and the public about the economic, social, and personal imperatives of intergenerational cooperation. GU provides a forum for those working with children, youth, and the elderly to explore areas of common ground while celebrating the richness of each generation.

 

Grand Magazine - http://www.grandmagazine.com

GRAND magazine is all about you, the active, vital, involved grandparent of today.  Celebrating our diverse lifestyles, from health and fitness to leisure, love, romance, marriage, food, travel, mind, body and soul, new careers, trends in technology, real estate and home décor.

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