Youth Mentoring Symposium Is March 31 at Nebraska Union

WHEN: Wednesday, March 31, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
WHERE: Nebraska Union, 1400 R Street

Lincoln, Neb., March 3, 2003 -- The Latino Research Initiative at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will present a free symposium on youth mentoring March 31.

The day-long symposium, featuring two national speakers, convenes in the Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., and aims to present the latest information on effective mentoring programs for youth.

Activities begin with check-in at 8:30 a.m. Sessions run from 8:30-11:30 and 12:45-2 p.m. The symposium adjourns at 3 p.m.

The symposium should appeal to anyone interested in or involved in youth mentoring activities, said Marcela Raffaelli, associate professor of psychology and ethnic studies, and a member of the Latino Research Initiative at UNL, the symposium's organizer.

"We see this an opportunity for mentors and agencies to network with one another," she said. "We at the university are interested in finding out what they are doing as well as being able to offer information to them."

The keynote speakers are Michael J. Karcher and Bernadette Sanchez.

Karcher is an assistant professor and coordinator of the school counseling program at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He has conducted extensive research into mentoring, focusing on cross-age mentoring in schools and has developed successful mentoring programs at schools in Texas and Wisconsin. He is principal investigator of a three-year Study of Mentoring in the Learning Environment (SMILE), formally titled effective interactions with Hispanic youth in school-based mentoring, which is funded by the William T. Grant Foundation. He is co-editor, with David L. DuBois, of the forthcoming Handbook of Youth Mentoring to be published by Sage Publications in 2005.

Sanchez is an assistant professor of psychology at De Paul University in Chicago. She has a diverse array of experiences in youth mentoring with particular emphasis in how mentors help Latino youth achieve academic success. She has focused on the informal or natural mentoring relationships of these adolescents. She has extensive background with mentoring programs, and designed and implemented a mentoring program for Latina adolescents and a peer mentor program for African American high school students. She has consulted on mentoring programs in Chicago and Puerto Rico.

The symposium features breakout-session on topics such as mentoring in school-based settings, family involvement; mentor training and support; creating effective matches; cultural considerations and evaluations.

The symposium is organized by the Latino Research Initiative and has major support from the UNL Research Council's Montgomery Lectureship Award.

"While our speakers happen to have experience with Latino youth, the symposium is very inclusive and will be relevant to people involved in mentoring all youth," Raffaelli said. "We will be looking at common issues that confront all youth mentoring activities."

Although the symposium is free, organizers request pre-registration to help with planning. The registration deadline is March 17.

For more information or to register, contact: e-mail Liz Carranza-Rodriguez, telephone (402) 472-1663, or download information from the World Wide Web.

CONTACT: Marcela Raffaelli, Latino Research Initiative, (402) 472-0737