Trekkers is launching an innovative training series for community mentors and youth development practitioners via the Trekkers Training Institute. Based on the organization’s quarter-century of success in the field of youth development, The trainings will share the best practices and critical philosophies that have led to Trekkers’ youth retention rate that hovers close to 85 percent for students who start the program in seventh grade and complete the program in 12th grade, according to a news release from the organization.

The schedule for Trekkers’ free training series is as follows at Steel House South building, 639 Main St., in Rockland:

Mentor Series:

• Why Relationships Matter, 1-4 p.m., Tuesday, July 17.

• Earning the Right to Be Heard with Teens, 1-4 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 21.

• Embracing a Strengths-Based Approach, 1-4 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 25.

Practitioner Series:

• Going Beyond One and Done Programming, 1-4 p.m., Thursday, July 26.

• Engaging Youth Through the Middle School to High School Transition, 1-4 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 23.

• Not Going It Alone: Mapping Community Resources, 1-4 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 27.

While there are no prerequisites to participate, the Mentor Series is geared towards anyone who considers themselves a mentor, whether formally or informally, while the Practitioner Series is geared towards professionals working directly or indirectly in the field of education, mentoring and/or youth development. Registration is limited to 15 participants per session on a first-come, first-served basis.

These trainings are the first open enrollment opportunities offered by the institute and are made possible through a continued partnership with the Portland-based Emanuel & Pauline A. Lerner Foundation. Trekkers began its partnership with the Lerner Foundation in fall 2016 as part of the foundation’s Aspirations Incubator Program. In addition to funding the development of the institutek, the foundation selected eight organizations from across Maine that received training in Trekkers’ Youth Programming Principles during an experiential, three-month intensive training pilot during the summer 2017. All eight organizations are currently implementing Trekkers’ Youth Programming Principles through youth programs in their home communities.

For more information or to register, visit trekkersinstitute.org or email Meredith Lynt at meredith@trekkers.org.

For more information about the Lerner Foundation, the Aspirations Incubator Program, and its partner organizations, visit lernerfoundation.com or email Caitlin Gilmet at caitlin@lernerfoundation.com.

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