| The Minnesota Mentoring Conference is the region's only annual conference focused exclusively on supporting quality mentoring. This year's conference, "Best in Class," was held on October 24th at the University of Minnesota's Continuing Education & Conference Center in Saint Paul. The conference featured well-known trainers in the field from around the country who are highly regarded for their innovation in mentoring. Participants of all experience levels walked away from the conference with great ideas and practices to implement into their programs. Here are some comments from participants about this year's conference: "It was really great to be among a large group of peers at different levels of experience and representing so many different styles of mentoring. The networking and casual exchange of ideas was invaluable. All-in-all well done!"
"It was great to get a mix of research findings and practical ideas for enhancing mentor programs. This was my first MPM conference, and it was very worthwhile."
"I learned so much from the conference! In a time of uncertainty with funding and limited resources, you provided us with much information on creating sustainability, making sure the programs are operating at the highest level of safety and knowing what the latest trends are in mentoring! Thanks for the great conference!"
"I would say that overall I was really pleased with how smoothly the conference went. I would say that my colleague and I spent the majority of our drive home discussing how useful the conference was and were excited to share our new information with our other colleagues."
"As usual, it was an excellent conference. I walk away year after year with a renewed sense that the work that we're doing is quality, relevant and impactful. With that said, I ALWAYS learn something new - something I can apply to program quality improvement or that will have a direct impact on our mentors and kids. Thank YOU!"
"Great day! I look forward to the energy at this conference and the momentum that comes from it. MPM does a good job of tending to our needs without spending needlessly. Love the venue!"
"It was my first time attending the conference and hopefully not my last!"
"I love being able to come together with other mentoring orgs…P.S. The MPM Staff was great as usual." "I always look forward to the MPM annual conference. Though I am a "seasoned" director of a mentoring program, I always come away from it with some new learning. The conference is cutting-edge and the staff do a thoughtful job of organizing the event and bringing in nationally known advocates from the mentoring field which adds great value to the experience."
This year's keynote speakers will be Dr. Renée Spencer (left), and Dr. Jean Rhodes (right).
 
Dr. Renée Spencer is Associate Professor at Boston University School of Social Work. Her research focuses on youth mentoring, specifically relational processes in more and less successful relationships. She is currently conducting a mixed-methods longitudinal study of the development of youth mentoring relationships in community-based programs. Dr. Spencer has published widely on youth mentoring and serves as a member of several boards and committees, including MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership Research and Policy Council, The Center for the Advancement of Mentoring (TCAM) National Cadre of Mentoring Researchers, and the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Research Advisory Council. On-Site Keynote Speaker
Dr. Jean Rhodes is the MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership Professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She is the newly appointed endowed chair for the UMass Boston/MENTOR Research Alliance, a first-of-its-kind institute that will support the advancement of youth mentoring efforts. Dr. Rhodes is a globally recognized expert on youth mentoring and has devoted her career to understanding the role of intergenerational relationships in the lives of disadvantaged youth. She has published three books, four edited volumes, and more than 100 chapters and peer-reviewed articles on topics related to positive youth development, the transition to adulthood, and mentoring. She is also the author of the book, Stand by Me: The risks and rewards of mentoring today's youth (Harvard University Press). Dr. Rhodes is a Fellow in the American Psychological Association and the Society for Research and Community Action, and a Distinguished Fellow of the William T. Grant Foundation. She is also a member of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood and Chair of the Research and Policy Council of the National Mentoring Partnership. Dr. Rhodes sits on the Board of Directors of MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership, the advisory boards of several mentoring and policy organizations, and the editorial board of several journals in community and adolescent psychology. Interactive Keynote Speaker via Skype | 
  |