MENTOR offers quick, easy ways to get involved in National Mentoring Month
1/19/2012
by Julie Cushing
The beginning of the new year marks an important event in the world of youth development – the start of National Mentoring Month. Since 2002, when the occasion was first marked by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and the Harvard School of Public Health, every January has been recognized as a time to celebrate the adults in children’s lives who help guide them into adolescence and beyond. The mark these supporters place on America’s youth is invaluable, as evidenced by higher rates of school attendance, lower rates of drinking and drug abuse, and a stronger likelihood to go on to higher education among children who meet frequently with a mentor.
MENTOR is a national organization that focuses on providing responsible adult leaders for children that need a caring mentor in their lives. Often, many children lack the support system they need to successfully encounter the challenges that daily life produces, both inside and outside of school. MENTOR studies have concluded that only 1 in every 6 children gets any sort of care from a mentor that is imperative in their formative years. Leading research and grants that fund and advance mentorship are thanks to the many efforts of MENTOR, which works alongside government institutions such as the US Department of Health and Services and the FBI to continue providing for the children who need adult leadership most.
This month, on January 24 and 25, MENTOR will be hosting its annual National Mentoring Summit, especially focusing on renewed adult efforts to make the difference in a child’s life. The theme for this year’s summit is: Invest in the Future: Mentor a Child.
By mentoring a young person, you are truly making an investment in a child who needs an adult to believe in them in a difficult, transitionary period of their life. America’s future is something we all need to protect in our children, and providing them with the confidence to succeed plays an important role in their chances to flourish in their adult lives.
The value of mentoring cannot be understated. There are tasks that many mentees struggle with that seem easily understood to those who have had mentoring as young people. These basic needs can range from help on a difficult homework assignment, to finding a part time job, to even buying a car in young adulthood. Every adult has the capacity to assist a young person in at least one of these tasks, and National Mentoring Month is the perfect opportunity to get involved.
There are hundreds of organizations across the country that facilitate mentor placement. MENTOR has partnerships in 22 states, and other organizations such as United Way and Big Brothers Big Sisters have nationwide resources. For further information on how to get involved, visit MENTOR’s website for National Mentoring Month, and check out a video from America’s Promise Founding Chair Gen. Colin Powell on how mentors can develop a trusting, committed partnership with their mentees.
Providing children with caring adults in active, sustainable relationships is a proven aid on the path to a high school diploma and higher education. With as many as 15 million schoolchildren in need of a mentor, American children, especially those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, are in high need of volunteer assistance. Join America's Promise in our Grad Nation movement as we attempt to eliminate the dropout crisis through a commitment to youth services and public action. Volunteer your time to become a mentor this month, and help us fulfill a key promise in the battle to end dropouts.