Building the Foundation – Mentors
Make pre-match training easier for your program
Give every mentor in your program consistent, research-informed training before they are matched with a mentee.
Reduce the training burden on staff with live workshop and web-based training materials.
Engaging. Practical. Interactive.
Building the Foundation includes six motivating lessons.
Total training time is about 2 hours.
Be ready to mentor
Understand how training leads to more effective mentoring relationships and why that’s critical to success.
Manage motivations
Identify motivations for mentoring and learn to manage differences in the goals of mentors and mentees.
Set realistic expectations
Know what to expect from a new mentoring relationship and how to avoid expectations that can create frustration.
Define roles
Understand the essential roles a mentor plays in the lives of children — from trusted friend to role model.
Maintain healthy boundaries
Discover the importance of maintaining boundaries and how they promote healthy, safe relationships.
Prepare for the first meeting
Access tips, checklists and scenarios to prepare for successful first mentoring meetings.
Training that works for you and your program
Building the Foundation can be delivered as a self-paced, online training or a live workshop format.
Self-paced, online (about 2 hours)
- Mentors complete Building the Foundation anytime, anywhere that is convenient for them.
- Progress is saved automatically so mentors can stop and start their training when they have time.
- Program staff track mentor progress and completion of the training on the Administration portal.
Live workshop (about 2 hours)
- Program staff have access to a user-friendly trainer’s manual and multimedia presentation materials.
- No training of trainers required.
Whatever format you choose, your mentors receive a certificate and downloadable or printed tipsheets that they can refer back to throughout their mentoring experience.
Training that fits your mentoring model
Choose the version designed for your program:
Community-Based | Site-Based | Group-based | Young Adult | e-Mentoring | STEM mentoring
Course Features
- Teaches practical, decision-making skills
- Guided self-reflection activities
- Authentic videos that illustrate real-world scenarios
- Interactive learning activities that encourage participation
- Research-based content grounded in the science of effective mentoring
- Practice-informed guidance reflecting the realities mentors encounter
- Tipsheets and resources for ongoing reference
- Certificate to recognize course completion and knowledge gain
Simple, Affordable Pricing
|
Online Training Licenses Includes: One year access to online materials, Administrative portal |
Price |
|---|---|
| 1-9 PARTICIPANTS | $25/person |
| 10 OR MORE PARTICIPANTS | $10/person |
|
Live Workshop Materials Includes: Two years of access to the training curriculum materials |
Price |
|---|---|
| LIVE WORKSHOP MATERIALS | $200 |
| RENEWAL EVERY 2 YEARS | $25 |
Building the Foundation is included with a Membership purchase. Click here to explore why membership may be a good choice for your program.
Case Study: How one mentoring program saved staff time using Building the Foundation
The challenge:
The small, but mighty, staff at the Big Brothers Big Sisters of El Dorado County needed higher-quality mentor preparation without spending more time delivering and scheduling training.
The solution:
Online pre-match training mentors could complete on their own schedules.
The result:
Mentors reported feeling better prepared, while staff gained time for other program priorities.
“I’d absolutely recommend these courses… I’ve had nothing but positive feedback from my [mentors].”
– Amber Henrichs, Program Director, BBBS-EDC
