Dear Friends of Mentoring,
First and foremost, thank you for being a valued partner in amplifying the importance and the critical need for mentoring in Nebraska. Without a doubt, there is truly remarkable, innovative, and purposeful work happening in our state’s mentoring sector. Our new annual report reflects the highlights and impacts of the tremendous work of MENTOR Nebraska and our partners in the sector.
This past year, we forged ahead with key projects and services to advance the quality and quantity of mentoring in our state, while navigating the ripple effects of the pandemic. We diversified our training offerings to include trauma informed supports, centered youth voice in mentoring practices, and advanced equity in our sector. The release of the 2021 Mapping Project report provided a snapshot of the current state of mentoring in Nebraska to understand the size and scope of Nebraska’s mentoring sector, the diverse programmatic models, challenges and strengths of the sector, and areas of future growth. This mapping project is the first of a three-phase project to better understand the state of mentoring and how MENTOR Nebraska centers our future work to uplift the interests of the young people in our state. We also made intentional steps to grow our geographic reach as we welcomed new board members from communities across Nebraska, onboarded consultants to expand our no-cost capacity building support, and engaged with new mentoring organizations to deepen relationships in different regions of Nebraska.
Stay tuned for the official release of the State of Mentoring in Nebraska report this spring and our new three-year strategic plan in July. We also hope you can join us for our virtual 2022 Excellence in Mentoring Awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 6th where we will honor statewide champions of mentoring and their contributions to strengthening Nebraska’s mentoring movement.
Sincerely,
Melissa Mayo
Executive Director
