“The Institute was the best professional development experience I have had in the field of mentoring and quite possibly ever.”

“I learned more from the Institute than from the last 15 conferences I have attended. This was an outstanding experience for me and will help me be better at what I do every day. Thanks!”

“The opportunity to dialogue with top researchers and practitioners in the field, in a small setting, was a tremendous gift.”

“I have been in the mentoring business for 27 years and this was one experience that truly expanded my knowledge base.”

“The enthusiasm and commitment to mentoring was infectious and motivating.”

“I felt extremely thankful to be accepted to the Institute, and very empowered to be part of such a prestigious group of people in the field of mentoring. ”

“It was 100% worth every minute.”

“Having multiple researchers there who are all doing significant work in the field AND happen to be great presenters and genuinely interested in hearing form the participants was wonderful.”

“Most of all, I was stimulated and excited by the heady conversations and great presentations.”

“An amazing wealth of knowledge and experience was shared at one time – and everyone benefited from the discussions held. ”

“Having a small group enabled us to get to know many in the room well, and it made effective dialogue happen. ”

“One of the goals was to build a network, and I think the mix of participants and format really made this possible.”

“The intensive nature of the format ensured that critical work and evaluation, individually and as a group, was being done. ”

“Having access to the researchers—hearing their findings, being able to discuss them fully, and being able to explore ways to improve our practices—was of extreme value.”

“The intimate size of the group and interactive discussion format of the Institute created a stimulating and dynamic learning environment that encourages sustained dialogue among the participants. Also, by having the Institute last a full week, it allowed me to get away from my day-to-day responsibilities (as much as possible) and really focus on learning and processing the information.”

“I also was able to make new relationships and strengthen existing ones with researchers and practitioners in the field which will serve me well in the future”

“I will be sharing this information with my program staff, seeking ways to incorporate the learnings in our trainings (for staff, mentors, mentees and parents) and match support services.”

“I obtained new information at a deeper level of understanding that I expect will inform my professional work. I gained new insights into how research informs practice. I developed some new relationships with practitioners and researchers that I think will help me in my work.”

“The summer institute allowed me to connect with people who have resources to share, expertise I can learn from, and findings I can adopt to alter the way in which we deliver services, in order to assure the greatest positive outcomes for the population of at-risk youth that we work with.”

“It was a very enriching & enlightening week.”