Second Anniversary of the Amachi Training Institute

It was at the September 2005 Amachi Training Institute (ATI) that Carmen Colon discovered how to put her “gift of gab” to good use. Colon is a family social worker with the mentoring children of prisoner (MCP) program at the Center For Families Services, Inc. in Camden, New Jersey. The ATI “made me more responsible [for] what I say [and] what I’m not supposed to say,” she says. “The Amachi Training Institute is the best training that I have [had]. I can go in anywhere now and speak with confidence, in the sense that I know what I’m talking about. “I can sell anything now from the Amachi Training. I’m a sales[person]; I’m a go-getter; I’m a chaser.”

Colon was the 1,000th participant to complete the ATI, which has been in operation since December 2003. As of November 30, 2005, the ATI has conducted 48 Institutes and trained 1,070 people representing 345 organizations from 207 cities in 42 states and Washington, DC. Colon has a multitude of responsibilities at Project C.O.P.E. (the MCP program’s official name), including recruitment of volunteers and children, making matches and case management.

Although she started her position in July, Colon worked for two months before attending the ATI, which was her first on-the-job training. She says the training was “very informative” and that participants should attend it “within their second week of hiring.” The ATI “showed me how to use strategies for recruiting, strategies for how to get volunteers involved, [how to go] into the prisons, how we can recruit, and what we can do with the information received,” she adds.

There is no cost to attend the ATI, which is held in Philadelphia. The training lasts one-and-a-half days, with the first day running from noon to 6 p.m. and the second day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants are responsible for their own transportation and lodging. If interested in attending, email mwalker@ppv.org for a registration form. This information can also be accessed on the Amachi website, www.amachimentoring.org.