Vermont Mentoring Symposium

Virtual Sessions

2026 Virtual Symposium Program

New Coordinator Staff Support, 9:00 – 10:45 AM

Designed specifically for new mentoring program coordinators, this interactive session offers a welcoming space to meet other mentoring practitioners, ask questions, share experiences, and begin building a network of support. Participants will also learn more about the resources, training, technical assistance, and other services available through MENTOR Vermont. Grab your coffee or tea, and come meet your peers!

Weight, Worth and Wellbeing: Paths to Understanding and Identifying Disordered Eating Behaviors, 10:00 – 10:50 AM

Mentors, educators, and afterschool professionals are uniquely positioned to notice changes in a young person’s relationship with food, movement, body image, and peers. In a culture where dieting, weight-based judgment, and body dissatisfaction are often normalized, knowing how to recognize and respond to concerns can feel challenging. This session will explore what young people are navigating and help adults become more informed, compassionate partners in prevention and early intervention, centering education, reflection, and curiosity over certainty.

Advance Your Impact with AI, 11:00 – 11:50 AM

Explore how AI can support the everyday work of nonprofits and mentoring organizations through real tools, practical use cases, and live demonstrations. This interactive session will examine the possibilities, benefits, costs, and ethical considerations of AI while keeping the human heart of mentoring at the center. Participants will have opportunities to ask questions, share experiences, and consider how AI might realistically fit into their own roles, programs, and workflows.

October 7

Helping Mentors & Mentees Navigate a World with AI, 1:00 – 2:00 PM

AI is increasingly part of young people’s everyday lives, creating new opportunities and challenges for the adults who support them. Through real examples, discussion, and realistic mentoring scenarios, this session will explore topics such as privacy, bias, misinformation, AI companions, academic integrity, consent, and digital wellbeing. Participants will build confidence in helping mentors navigate AI-related situations and leave with conversation starters and coaching questions for engaging young people thoughtfully about AI.

Your Voice, Our Direction: A Mentoring Field Listening Session, 2:00 – 2:50 PM

Facilitated entirely by members of the Program Leadership Council (PLC) and Vermont Mentoring DEI Committee, this session gives mentoring professionals space to share what’s working, what’s challenging, and what they need from MENTOR Vermont and the broader field. Feedback will help the PLC continue its role as an accountability council and guide the DEI Committee as it reassesses priorities first identified by the field in 2020–2021. MENTOR Vermont staff will not be present, creating space for candid conversation that will help shape future priorities and support.

Prevention 101: Tips on Ways to Talk about Substance Use Using Risk and Protective Factors, 3:00 – 4:00 PM

This session will provide an overview of the Vermont Prevention Model and where Mentoring fits in with that model.  Participants will be able to identify at least 2 adolescent risk and protective factors around substance use, and tips and tricks to use to help start conversations around substance use.  The session will also provide resources from the Vermont Department of Health.

In-Person Program

2026 In-Person Symposium Program

Keynote – Clubhouse Commons: Young People at the Heart of Our Community 

We call on young people to get involved in the social ecosystem, to become creatives, civic leaders, strong professionals, and visionaries. How can we expect younger generations to develop a sense of purpose and belonging within their communities when they are not given the opportunities to do so? Providing young people with roles that have real outcomes and real stakes within the community helps them build an identity rooted in meaningful work and connections that follow them for a lifetime. This belief is what led to the creation of Clubhouse Commons, a youth-for-youth community center fostering belonging and purpose for those aged 12-24 in Central Vermont. Through personal inquiry and civic engagement, Clubhouse Commons works to support young people in discovering the place they belong, at the heart of our community.

Beyond “When in Doubt, Report”: Reframing Vermont’s Mandatory Reporting Practices

This workshop explores Vermont’s updated approach to mandated reporting and the role mentoring programs can play in supporting young people and families when concerns about child safety arise. Participants will learn what situations do and do not warrant a report, explore common questions DCF receives from mandated reporters, and gain a clearer understanding of what happens after a report is made. The workshop will also examine the respective roles of mentoring staff, how programs can collaborate with DCF while navigating legal and confidentiality requirements, and strategies for preserving trust and supportive relationships with young people throughout DCF involvement.

Bring Your Questions: MENTOR Vermont Expertise in Action

Bring the questions, challenges, and ideas you’re navigating in your program and tap into the expertise of the MENTOR Vermont team. In this open-format session, participants will move among topic-focused tables based on their needs and interests, connecting directly with staff for conversation, resources, and practical guidance. Challenge yourself to visit at least two tables or make your way to them all! Come prepared with questions and leave with ideas, resources, and clear next steps for continued support, whether through coaching, training, check-ins, or other MENTOR Vermont services.

Catered Lunch and Mentoring Field Recognition Awards

Afternoon Plenary – The Conversations We Need to Have: Navigating Today’s Mentoring Challenges

Mentoring programs today are navigating increasingly complex conversations with young people, mentors, caregivers, schools, funders, employers, and community partners. This interactive plenary will bring participants together to explore the common challenges facing the mentoring field, engage in meaningful dialogue with colleagues from across Vermont, and consider practical approaches to strengthening relationships, communication, and collaboration. Through facilitated discussion and shared learning, attendees will leave with new perspectives, actionable ideas, and renewed energy for the work ahead.

Youth-Led Workshop – When Your Mind Won’t Stop

Overthinking can turn everyday moments, from a test or homework assignment to a friendship or unanswered text, into thoughts that are difficult to quiet. In this youth-led session, Youth Mentoring Ambassador and mentee Kanchan Khadka will share her personal experience with overthinking, including what triggers it, how it affects her daily life, and what she wishes adults understood. Kanchan will invite other young people to join the conversation and engage participants in discussion about what helps, what can make things harder, and how trusted adults and communities can better support young people who overthink.