About the Institute
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
Find out more about our research fellows...
Throughout the week, sessions are led by prominent, internationally recognized research fellows. Each Institute features five or more research fellows, along with several guest speakers, and provides mentoring program practitioners an unprecedented opportunity to interact in a small group setting with the leaders in mentoring research.
>> Researchers who have participated in the Summer Institute
Find out more about our participants...
To encourage an active exchange among professional peers and with researchers, the Summer Institute is limited to 25 participants. Participants apply through a competitive process. Ideal participants are those who have several years of experience in the field of youth development and are seeking an advanced level of professional 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., executive directors, program directors). Tuition for the full-week Institute is $725 and scholarships are available. 30 CEU hours in Social Work awarded to all participants.
>> Applying for the Summer Institute
>> What our participants say about the Summer Institute
Find out more about 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
