Making Connections Introduction

July 29, 2010

What What is Making Connections?

• Comprehensive, user friendly, web-based relationship-building skills training for adults working with youth that –

– Develops new skills to respond to changing situations,

– Reinforces existing, making them stronger

• Built by task force of experts who care including – – Educators – all levels

– Mentors – both volunteer and professional

– Community Leaders – non-profits and foundations serving youth

– Business Leaders – concerned about and contributing to education

• For building strong relationships with youth it includes –– Nine chapters – for sequel learning or in-the-moment problem-solving

– Activities – for both mentors and teachers

– Resource library and individual lesson references for deeper digging

– On-line personal journal for self-reflection

– Blog to encourage the community to share its lessons

– Streaming videos , quotes and tips to appeal to all learners

Addresses the Challenges

• What are the common concerns of new volunteers?

• What keeps volunteers coming back?

• How do we make volunteers more successful?

Making Connections has 9 Lessons Who Is At-Risk?

Get to Know Your Students

Characteristics of Effective Relationships

How to Build Effective Relationships

Cultural Competence Builds Relationships

It Takes a Village

Families and School – Creating Ties that Bind

Another Type of Relationship

Community Relationships – Thinking Outside the Building

Making Connections’ mission is to improve relationship-building skill of adults working youth.

There are 3 ways to use Making Connections.

• Self-paced learning

• Trainer-led online or in-person learning

• Customized training for your organization

1. Self-paced learning on your own schedule

• The ability to go directly to topics within the set curriculum without taking the full course.

• Activities that are immediately available to use with youth.

• An extensive resource library sorted by topic.

• An online journal for self-reflection and recording information and ideas gained.

• Streaming videos with helpful tips from others who have had positive experiences building relationships and keeping youth in school.

• Blog is available for sharing ideas and trading tips.

2. Trainer-led online or in-person learning

• Select an Making Connections chapter(s) and use to teach how to build strong, positive, lasting relationships with youth through a process of self-reflection, collaborative inquiry, and critical discourse.

• Online reflection and discussion provides opportunities to share best practices, explore challenges, and consider solutions and ideas with others.

• Get immediate feedback and constant interaction with the trainer and peers.

• Class can be used as part of a certification process for mentors in your organization.

3. Customized, in-person Training your Organization

• Familiarize educators, volunteers, and mentors with the basics of Making Connections.

• Walk through the sample lessons with mentors, educators, and volunteers.

• Offer ideas about how to use the activities and assignments.

• “Train the trainers” by teaching the leaders of schools and organizations how to use the tool.

Broad-Based & Comprehensive

Creative assignments help you develop a plan of action

.Watch videos filled

with helpful tips

•Capture your thoughts in the online journal.•Share ideas, make connections, and ask questions in the community blog.

Where did Making Connections Come From?

• Frustration with the drop-out rate – prompted the Jubitz Family Foundation to initially fund exploration of the issue exposing limited cultural competency training options for mentors and teachers

• Innovation Partnership – a non-profit organization that tackles persistent community problems, accepted the challenge to research the issue and develop a mitigation strategy

• Multi-Cultural Research Team Literature Review – determined that cultural competency training was fragmented, intermittent, inadequate

• Inconsistent Funding – as primary limitation to on-going, quality training prompted concept of on-line tool available 24/7

• Community Project – Making Connections was developed by educators, mentors, community and business leaders

Based on Research

• “The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives on High School Dropouts” John Bridgeland, John Dilulio, Karen Burke Morison, Civic Enterprises

• “Building Relationships for Student Success” Diane Dorman and Amy Fisher, NW Regional Education Laboratory

• “Collaborative Family-School Relationships for Children’s Learning” Don Fleming, PhD, Virginia Department of Education

• “50 Years Down the Road: Have We Lost Our Way?” Angela Stephens McIntosh, PhD, Tonika Duren Green, PhD, Scarecrow Education

• “Using Cross Cultural Communication to Improve Relationships” Orlando L. Taylor, PhD, Mid-Atlantic Center

• “Peer Relationships and Friendship”, Jeong Jin Yu, Karen Hoffman Tepper and Stephen T. Russell, University of Arizona

Development TeamDonna Beegle, PhD, Communication Across Barriers

Debbie Ellis,NW Regional Education Laboratory

Debbie Hornibrook, PhDPoverty Bridge

Joshua JacobsMandala Designs

Tobi Kibel PiatekSynerGenii Creative Communications

Ruth ScottInnovation Partnership

Pilot Test SitesBoston University School of Social Work

Friends of Children

Northwest Regional Education Laboratory

Open Meadows Alternative Schools

SMART, Bend, Portland

Curriculum Review PanelShauna Adams, PhD, Lewis & Clark CollegePat Burk, Oregon Department of EducationGerald Deloney, Self Enhancement Inc.Nanci Luna Jimenez, Jimenez SeminarsAndy Nelson, Hands on PortlandDan Prince, Outdoor SchoolsFranki Trujello-Dalby, Intercultural Communications Institute

Making Connections is an easy to use, readily accessible, online training tool around relationship building. It makes

training sessions easier, offers new training ideas.

Benefits

• Reduce Turnover;

• Help Recruit, Train and Retain volunteers;

• Increase Effectiveness of Staff and Volunteers;

• Provide a Skills Reference and Guide that can be Used Again and Again.

Making Connections Advisory Board

Ken Thrasher, Chair

Complí

Lisa Aasheim

Portland State University

Kristine Baggett

Beaverton Schools Foundation

Carolyn Becic

Oregon Mentors

Jay Bloom Bloom Anew Theressa Davis Comcast

Michael Garringer Northwest Regional Ed Lab Tom Keller Portland State University Thomas LaPierreBig Brothers Big Sisters

Charles McGee Black Parent Initiative

Steffeni Mendoza Gray City of Portland

Randy Miller Moore Co.

David Roy Knowledge Learning Corporation

Von Summers NW Natural

Linda Wright Coldwell Banker Barbara Sue Seal Properties