Mentoring Programs for Youth

MENTOR’s Becoming a Better Mentor: Strategies to Be There for Young People is a free resource written by experts in the field to benefit any adult looking to support young people. Full of real-world advice and evidence-based strategies, it provides mentors with tangible strategies to “be there” for young people in their various life journeys and teaches them about the core skills, key principles, and critical practices of mentoring, such as: mindsets and attitudes that lay the foundation for a strong mentoring relationship; basic information about youth development and typical mentoring relationship cycles; and critical skills and competencies to grow and refine to meet the needs of youth.

            Physical & Mental Health, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

RULER in Out-of-School Time (OST) is an approach to social and emotional learning that is adapted from The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence’s evidence-based approach known as RULER. RULER in OST strengthens the emotional intelligence skills of staff and young people participating in afterschool programs, camps, clubs, sports, or other spaces outside the school day. RULER in OST consists of 7 staff development videos plus reflections and activities for each. The series teaches the skills and tools of emotional intelligence and other topics relevant to working with youth. We understand training staff and implementing new approaches in OST settings can be difficult. Thus, RULER in OST implementation is flexible. Content can be completed independently by staff at their own pace or integrated into staff meetings over time.

      Community-Based, Curriculum & Enrichment

Holidays Around the World free curriculum downloads from The Curriculum Corner. The holidays are a great time for students to learn about cultures other than their own. This collection is designed to help your students learn about the traditions of others around the world during the holiday season.

      Community-Based, Family Engagement

Practicing gratitude — even in difficult times — is rewarding for the whole family. To talk with your child about being thankful and appreciating those who help us, read these ideas. Resources include games, projects, craft activities, printable worksheets, articles, and more free gratitude resources for parents and kids.

   Advocacy & Policy, Other

Since 2000, Lights On Afterschool has been celebrated nationwide to call attention to the importance of afterschool programs for America’s children, families and communities. Lights On Afterschool is a project of the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that all children have access to quality, affordable afterschool programs. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has served as Chair of Lights On Afterschool since 2001. Find free resources for Lights On Afterschool, including event planning themes and ideas, registration information, partner tools, art, printables & other materials for your programs, and more.

         Child Advocacy, Community Service Learning, Community-Based, Diversity & Inclusion, Diversity, Equality, Cultural Competency, Global Learning, Mental Health, Physical & Mental Health, Social Justice, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

Kid Power is an interactive video platform for students in grades Kindergarten through 8th. Kid Power combines philanthropy and fun with mental health, social-emotional learning (SEL), child rights, and equity and access for all students.

         Behavior Management, Family Engagement, Prevention & Intervention

“Seven Positive Strategies for Managing Aggressive Behavior in Young Children” is an article published by Kidpower to help adults in effectively managing aggressive behavior in young children.

         Nutrition, Obesity Prevention, Physical & Mental Health

Download the Dining Decisions game and see how healthy you can make your food plate! Kendra, our food expert, will help you make smart food choices to stay powered up. Dining Decisions places you in control of your food plate. Decide which foods give you more energy and powerful muscles and which ones are better to eat only sometimes.

               Health Care Resources for Youth, Obesity Prevention, Physical & Mental Health

Resources for preventing childhood obesity and for improving care of children who are overweight. The resources in this toolkit are designed to help primary care practice teams provide coordinated, integrated and multidisciplinary services to both prevent obesity and improve care for children who are already overweight or at risk for becoming overweight. Includes tools for prevention, assessment and diagnosis, management and treatment and community resources.

               Curriculum & Enrichment, Other

Teachers Pay Teachers is the go-to platform created by teachers, for teachers to access the community, content, and tools they need to teach at their best. Founded in 2006, TpT provides a marketplace for teachers to exchange instructional materials and access easy-to-use digital tools. Today, TpT empowers teachers with the world’s largest catalog of over 5 million pieces of educator-created content. Our community of more than 7 million educators — including 85% of PreK-12 U.S. teachers — use TpT to save time, support students, and learn from each other.