Training and Consulting

Silver Lining Institute

Together we can realize a future where involvement in the foster care system does not limit a young person’s potential and all young people in foster care have access to high quality mentoring relationships.

Who We Are

Silver Lining Mentoring (SLM) empowers youth in foster care to thrive through committed mentoring relationships and the development of essential life skills. Based in Boston, Silver Lining Mentoring is one of the few mentoring organizations nationwide, exclusively focused on the unique needs of youth in foster care. The Silver Lining Institute (SLI) was launched in 2019 to expand access to mentoring relationships for youth impacted by foster care nationwide.

The Silver Lining Institute partners with service providers across the country to promote best practices in mentoring youth in foster care through a training and consulting program. The Institute also cultivates long-term impact by raising awareness among local, state and federal stakeholders of the challenges facing young people in foster care and the positive outcomes that can be achieved through mentoring programs.

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Enhancing Organizations Through Consulting

Whether a mentoring organization looking to better serve youth in foster care, or a foster care service provider seeking to enhance mentoring services, the Institute serves as a strategic partner promoting best practices for mentoring young people in foster care nationwide. Download our one-pager to share with your team!

Examples of Consulting Topics

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Mentor Training

SLI will review your program’s existing mentor training and make recommendations about curriculum content, activities and training format (online and/or in-person) that will prepare mentors to be responsive to the needs of youth in foster care.

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Mentor Recruitment & Screening

SLI will learn about your current mentor recruitment and screening efforts and recommend formats, tools and approaches to effectively attract and retain mentors in line with your program’s youth population.

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Staff Training

Experienced curriculum developers and dynamic facilitators, our staff brings trauma-informed, population-specific knowledge to custom design highly interactive staff trainings based on your team’s needs (ie. elements of effective practice tailored for youth in foster care, building diversity, equity & inclusion practices, utilizing youth voice to strengthen organizations, etc.).

Enhancing Organizations Through Training

In addition to custom Technical Assistance projects, the Institute also produces educational offerings for staff of mentoring programs in the form of webinars and other live trainings.  The Institute’s premier educational offering is the webinar series Fostering Progress, offered 4-6 times per year.  The Institute expert consultants are also featured at conferences, partner events, and other events throughout the year.

Check out our educational resources on some of the most popular topics requested by the mentoring community.

Timeframe

Organizations who request training and/or consulting can expect to have a project custom designed in a mutually agreed upon timeframe. Projects can last anywhere from a few weeks to six months or more, depending on the scope of work.

How Can My Organization Access Training and Consulting?

How can my organization access training and consulting?

Direct service organizations interested in training and consulting to start up or augment youth mentoring programs can receive no-cost assistance through the Silver Lining Institute’s partnership with the National Mentoring Resource Center (NMRC).

Request no-cost help for your program
Overview of Silver Lining Institute
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Silver Lining Institute is an affiliate of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and an official Technical Assistance Provider of the National Mentoring Resource Center, a project of MENTOR and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

It was valuable to be able to connect with other like-minded organizations across the country who are also serving youth in foster care. I am looking forward to the many ways we can all connect more and add more to each other’s toolboxes through the Silver Lining Institute.

Andy Miller, Program Director, Best Kids (Washington DC)
The resources and thoughtfulness behind Silver Lining’s approach are what stood out most during the workshop. You care about the youth, but you also care about those serving the youth. It was refreshing. I look forward to staying in touch and hearing more from you all!
Samuel Bellamy, CEO, South Carolina Mentors
I truly appreciated attending the training you hosted. The opportunity to learn more about the challenges that other organizations face serving youth in foster care and discussing ways to overcome them was very valuable. Our organization is new to serving this population and we look forward to using the resources you’ve provided so we can have the best outcomes for our youth. Thank you for making this available, it is truly needed by our organization and many others.
Chris Sinclaire, Executive Director, Mentors for Berks Youth, (PA)