Research on Mentoring Veterans Transitioning to Civilian Life

NOSTOS - A Veteran’s Journey, is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to supporting veterans transitioning to civilian life. The 18-month program includes a year-long mentorship with veterans who have already successfully transitioned working alongside the newly transitioning veterans. Our need is for a survey of best practices in mentoring that would be accompanied by a recommended course of action. Considerations: What training do mentors need to support newly transitioning veterans? How much infrastructure is needed to create continuity while allowing flexibility for differing circumstances? What modes of communication and technology best support mentoring? How can mentors connect their mentees with appropriate resources? How can the impact of mentoring be evaluated in the short, medium and long-term? Desired outcomes include: Survey of best practices in evaluating program efficacy Identification of potential strategic partnerships in program evaluation Recommended plan of action with prioritized next steps This could be an in-class project or student internship.

Research on Mentoring Veterans Transitioning to Civilian Life

NOSTOS - A Veteran’s Journey, is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to supporting veterans transitioning to civilian life. The 18-month program includes a year-long mentorship with veterans who have already successfully transitioned working alongside the newly transitioning veterans. Our need is for a survey of best practices in mentoring that would be accompanied by a recommended course of action. Considerations: What training do mentors need to support newly transitioning veterans? How much infrastructure is needed to create continuity while allowing flexibility for differing circumstances? What modes of communication and technology best support mentoring? How can mentors connect their mentees with appropriate resources? How can the impact of mentoring be evaluated in the short, medium and long-term? Desired outcomes include: Survey of best practices in mentoring across public and private sectors Identification of potential strategic partnerships in mentoring Presentation of a recommended plan of action with prioritized next steps This could be an in-class project or student internship.

App Development for Veteran Resources

NOSTOS - A Veteran’s Journey, is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to supporting veterans transitioning to civilian life. Billions of dollars and over 40,000 organizations across the United States are dedicated to supporting veterans but these resources are fragmented. Our intent is to create a continuum of support through leveraging technology: connecting veterans to national and local resources through their phone. Our need is for the development of an app that provides: One-stop shop for veterans seeking effective national and local resources Capability for veterans to evaluate the efficacy of the resources they use Communication portal for NOSTOS participants to engage with their mentor, cohort and Nostos Alumni Community Considerations: What current apps have features that could be adapted to a NOSTOS app? What would need to happen for the NOSTOS app to link to government resources? How can a simple user interface be maintained while at the same time allowing for the integration of diverse resources? Desired outcomes include: Prototype of app with features described above Presentation of findings and recommendations of next steps This could be an in-class project or student internship.

Research on Strategic Partnerships

NOSTOS - A Veteran’s Journey, is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to supporting veterans transitioning to civilian life. Our intent is to leverage and connect existing resources vs. creating another stand-alone offering. Our need is to identify potential strategic partnerships in the government, private and non-profit sector. Considerations: What type of partnerships would be most appropriate for the NOSTOS model: infrastructure, funding, technology, mentoring, etc? What partnerships would most enable scaling? Is there an organization that could be an umbrella for NOSTOS? What might a partnership with the VA look like? Are there public-private collaboration models in other industries and countries that could be replicated? Desired outcomes include: Survey of successful veteran transition initiatives across sectors Survey of Public-Private Collaboration Models Prioritized List of Potential Strategic Partnerships and Recommended Next Steps This could be an in-class project or student internship.