Quality Mentoring Assessment Path (QMAP) Webinar hosted by the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota. March 23, 2011
What is the QMAP? What could my mentoring program get out of it? What kind of support can I expect? Register for this free webinar and learn the answers to these questions, plus ask any other questions you may have about the QMAP (Quality Mentoring Assessment Path) during a Question & Answer session.
This webinar is offered on a quarterly basis. To request a recording of the last QMAP webinar (which took place on March 23), email Mindy Twetten at mindy@mpmn.org.
3. Or, type questions (and comments) in the question/answer section and submit; we will respond directly to you or possibly share your question with all attendees
4. When unmuted, please monitor your background noiseCourtney Erickson AmeriCorps Technical Assistance & Training Specialist
5.
6. Rate as “Completed or In Regular Practice” or “Incomplete or Not In Regular Practice”
Purpose is to inform programs about our tool, its benefits, and get you comfortable with the process.
Run through the example of rating your mission statement No program is completely perfect or a complete failure, all have strengths and areas for improvement. QMAP is a “path” to quality, it’s not a test you need to ace right awayIf you are feeling overwhelmed by the 99 items, the QMAP is divided into 3 major sections and 21 minor sections
3 major sections of look familiar because they are based off the EEP; the base of QMAP is EEP but also looked at the “enhancements” in EEP that we felt should be standardAlso looked at current mentoring research best practices and felt the need to include moreCouldn’t come to the decisions about what to include without the help of our Quality Advisory Committee; they worked for over 3 years to design our tool, and the content. They provided a bunch of insight also on which questions needed more evidence, enhancements to include.
Go to live QMAPLogin: 12345Password: test2Run through a couple of questionsHighlightA1: text field for mission statement A3: checklistI3: upload (any MS office, pdf, other file types)Show resources tab for an item
Even after you submit your QMAP, you can still log-in and view the resources There are 100s of resources on this page
After you submit your QMAP, we will look over the completed QMAP and highlight strengths and areas for improvements and items to discuss at reviewWe come on-site to your program, anywhere in Minnesota, and learn more about what you doDuring the on-site review, we can develop accurate priorities based on your feedback, not just what the ratings sayAfter review, get this updated summary and 12 months support to complete improvement plan
“Script” (Marketing Staff)So now that you have a better understanding of what the QMAP is, you may be wondering why your program should complete it. Well as I’m sure most of you are aware, more and more research is showing that quality practices are a determining factor in achieving positive youth outcomes. This research is causing the mentoring field to shift its focus from quantity to quality. While in the past we’ve concentrated more on how many youth can we serve and how many mentors can we recruit, we now know that that is not necessarily an indicator of success, because even if you’re serving a bunch of youth, if you’re not following quality practices, we can end up with negative outcomes. Ensuring those quality practices means safer youth, safer volunteers, families who are more confident to be involved with your program, and as I’ve been saying, ultimately, more positive youth outcomes. This focus on quality is also elevating the field as a whole. A lot of people outside of the field think of mentoring as a warm and fuzzy, nice thing to do. Being able to say, our practices are research-based, adds more of a professional perception. Completing the QMAP also allows for some benchmarking, so that we can see where programs are on the quality spectrum, and then we can develop resources accordingly.
“Script” (Marketing Staff)Completing the QMAP is also going to have some extremely positive effects on your program specifically, not just the field. 100% of QMAP pilot participants reported that the QMAP was either “valuable” or “very valuable” to their programs, and that was before we even had any sort of recognition structure in place, which I’ll go into more detail about in a minute. The QMAP gives you a systematic way to validate and strengthen your program’s quality; that is the point of QMAP and thus its greatest benefit. Another huge benefit is that the whole process is free, and that includes individualized technical assistance and evaluation from MPM staff. Another benefit that we’ve heard from programs is that the QMAP gives you the opportunity for more funding. It allows you to make the case to funders, to say, “Look at all of these areas that QMAP says we’re very strong in. But also, QMAP has made us see that we need to work on this specific area, and we need your support to do that.” Many Minnesota funders have heard about QMAP and know to ask about it; in fact many of them are supporting it directly. Another funding opportunity that comes from QMAP is that later in 2011, we will have money from our Strive for Five fund available for programs that have gone through QMAP so that they can work on specific parts of their Improvement & Innovation Plan. By participating in QMAP, you are proving your commitment to quality, you are showing that you are a leader among your peers, and we want to call that out with lots of recognition.
“Script” (Marketing Staff)…So, in February 2011, we launched Quality Partnership status. Just by completing QMAP, you are showing your dedication to quality, and you become one of MPM’s Dedicated Partners. If you also completed the QMAP with 100% of the outlined best practices in place, you become an Expert Partner, at which point you also get permission to use the Expert Quality Seal that you see pictured on your screen. These programs are really the “cream of the crop;” right now we have around (#) Quality Partners, and only (#) of them are Expert Partners. However, once you become a Dedicated Partner, you can advance to Expert Partner status at any time by implementing 100% of the best practices covered in the QMAP.
“Script” (Marketing Staff)As a Dedicated or Expert Partner, there is an extensive list of benefits that you receive. You can see the whole list on our website, but the ones on the screen are some of the benefits our partners appreciate the most. First and foremost, you receive a priority listing on our Find a Program webpage, and I’ll show you what that looks like. [click on Find a Program link] This page is a high-traffic portal on our website where anyone – potential mentors, parents, funders, policy makers – can search for mentoring programs across Minnesota. As you can see, Expert Partners are listed first with a badge next to their name, then Dedicated Partners, and then everyone else. People can also conduct a search for only Quality Partners by using the Advanced Search function. Our partners also get more detail listed in their profile through the “Show Details” link.Some of the other key benefits include eligibility for discounts on Training Institute services, products, and publications; the ability to request letters of support from MPM citing your Quality Partner status; and connections to the business community and the media through MPM.
“Script” (Marketing Staff)So now all that’s left is getting started! All Minnesota youth mentoring programs are eligible. If you’re not already registered on our website, you’ll want to go to our website, mpmn.org, click on “Program Login,” then click on the Program Registration Form link – it should only take you about five minutes to fill out. If you’re already registered or once you are registered, all you have to do is email the Training Institute, traininginstitute@mpmn.org, to request access. Shortly after you do that, you’ll receive an email with your login information, and you’ll be all set to begin the QMAP!
At this point, we’ll open it up for questions. You can either type a question in the chat box, or you can click the little “raise hand” button and we can unmute you.[If no one asks questions right away, try using these “planted” questions to get the ball rolling:]How long does it take to fill out the QMAP?Which staff should do the QMAP?Who sees my final score? Anyone outside of MPM or my organization?Are you able to do site visits anywhere in greater Minnesota?Will this presentation be available for others to view in the future?