Trainings & Workshops
Relationships 101: What Healthy Relationships Actually Look Like
Thursday, October 22, 2026
11:00 AM Pacific Time
Virtual Training
Healthy relationships shape how young people understand connection, communication, trust, boundaries, and belonging.
Join Monique Ferrer, Senior Scholar Experience Coordinator with Palmer Scholars and Program Specialist with the Lakewood CHOICE Coalition, for an interactive training designed to help mentors and caring adults better support young people as they navigate relationships in their everyday lives.
Through guided conversation and breakout sessions, participants will explore what healthy connection can look like across friendships, romantic relationships, peer relationships, and family relationships.
Participants will learn foundational tools for talking with young people about:
Communication
Trust
Respect
Accountability
Emotional safety
Healthy connection and boundaries
Participants will leave with practical tools and supportive language they can use to create safe spaces for honest conversations about relationships and connection.
About the Facilitator
Monique Ferrer supports young people through education, prevention, and community-based initiatives. She serves as the Senior Scholar Experience Coordinator with Palmer Scholars and as a Program Specialist with the Lakewood CHOICE Coalition.
Her work centers on supporting youth, strengthening healthy decision-making, and creating spaces where young people can build the skills and relationships they need to thrive.
Who Should Attend?
This training is designed for mentors, mentoring program staff, youth-serving professionals, educators, caregivers, and other caring adults who want to strengthen their ability to support young people in developing healthy relationships.
Register for Relationships 101
Come ready to learn, reflect, connect, and leave with tools you can put into practice in your work with young people.
Wards of the State: A Conversation with the Author
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
11:00 AM Pacific Time
Virtual Conversation
What happens when young people move through systems without the consistent relationships and connections they need to thrive?
Join Claudia Rowe, journalist and author of Wards of the State, for a conversation exploring foster care, youth incarceration, and the transformative power of connection.
For more than 35 years, Rowe has reported on the places where young people and government policy intersect. In Wards of the State, she follows the lives of six people who experienced foster care to examine why so many young people involved in the child welfare system later become involved in the criminal legal system.
At the center of the conversation is something fundamental to mentoring: the need for safe, consistent, caring relationships.
Together, we’ll explore how disrupted connection can affect young people, what interventions can help change those patterns, and the important role mentors and caring adults can play in creating stability, belonging, and possibility.
About the Book
Wards of the State was named a finalist for the 2025 National Book Award for Nonfiction, selected as one of five finalists from 652 submissions.
The book has sparked conversations among child welfare advocates, educators, legal professionals, CASA organizations, public defenders, and communities across the country about foster care, incarceration, policy, and what becomes possible when young people have meaningful connection and support.
About the Author
Claudia Rowe is a journalist who has spent more than three decades reporting on young people, public systems, and policy.
Her work examines the experiences of young people navigating systems such as foster care and the criminal legal system, while asking what communities and institutions can do differently to create better pathways forward.
Learn more about Claudia Rowe and Wards of the State at claudiarowejournalist.com.
Who Should Attend?
This conversation is especially relevant for mentors, mentoring program staff, foster care and child welfare professionals, educators, advocates, youth-serving organizations, and caring adults interested in understanding how relationships and systems shape young people's lives.
Elements of Effective Practices for Mentoring: Fall 2026 Cohort
November 17–19 & December 16, 2026
10:00 AM Pacific Time
Virtual Cohort
Build a stronger foundation for effective, high-quality mentoring.
Join MENTOR California, MENTOR Minnesota, and MENTOR Washington for the Fall 2026 cohort of Elements of Effective Practices for Mentoring (EEPM), a collaborative learning experience centered on foundational, evidence-based practices that support strong mentoring programs and relationships.
Designed for both new and established programs, this cohort provides an opportunity to strengthen your understanding of effective mentoring practices, reflect on your current approach, and connect with other mentoring professionals across regions.
What to Expect
Participants will explore foundational practices that can help mentoring programs strengthen program quality, support mentors and young people, and build more intentional and effective mentoring experiences.
This cohort is a great fit for:
New mentoring programs building their foundation
New staff joining established mentoring organizations
Programs looking to refresh or strengthen existing practices
Youth-serving professionals interested in evidence-based mentoring strategies
Cohort Schedule
Tuesday, November 17, 2026 | 10:00 AM PT
Wednesday, November 18, 2026 | 10:00 AM PT
Thursday, November 19, 2026 | 10:00 AM PT
Wednesday, December 16, 2026 | 10:00 AM PT
Participants should plan to attend the cohort sessions as part of the full learning experience.
Contact
Contact Us
Ready to make a difference in the lives of young people? Connect with the team at MENTOR Washington using the form below to learn more about our services and how you can get involved.