Thank you to everyone who joined us for the inaugural Peer MentoringWorks Community of Practice (PMW CoP) meeting. This first of its kind peer mentoring community of practitioners represents national advocacy organizations, State VR Administrators, Subject Matter Experts from the Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance (WINTAC), Community Rehabilitation Providers, University Disability Student Services Centers, Peer Mentoring Coordinators, and Peer Mentors.
In this first PMW CoP meeting, we heard from:
- Steve Allen, President of PolicyWorks, covered the background and creation of Peer MentoringWorks and the vision for the Community of Practice.
- Christine Johnson, Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center, Senior Research Associate, George Washington University, discussed Peer Mentoring as an approved Pre-Employment Transition Service (Pre-ETS). Learn more.
- Paul Hippolitus, UC Berkeley, presented on his research, publication and tools on “Employment Empowerment.” Learn more.
- Wyn Kumar, Peer Mentor with Work Opportunities Unlimited, shared the impact of peer mentoring through a story about her work with a student mentee. Learn more about this Florida-based peer mentoring program via this video.
- Derek Shields, Director of the National Disability Mentoring Coalition (NDMC), discussed this national network of organizations leveraging mentoring models and programs to improve disability inclusion in education, employment and community.
We greatly appreciate your support and participation in this first meeting. As we move forward, we will be seeking input, guidance and feedback from the PMW CoP members to support the provision of peer mentoring to youth and students with disabilities.
We would greatly appreciate your feedback from this meeting. Please complete our Feedback Form.
Please also register to join us for our next PMW CoP meeting on September 23, 2020 at 1:00-2:00 pm ET / 10:00-11:00am PT! We also encourage you to share the registration link with your colleagues who are interested in growing peer mentoring models and programs.
Check out www.peermentoringworks.org to get a sense of the training and resource hub for this new PMW CoP.
If you have a specific question, please contact Steve Allen of PolicyWorks at 1.steven.allen@gmail.com.