MENTOR offers quick, easy ways to get involved in National Mentoring Month
1/12/2012
By Julie Cushing
The beginning of the New Year marks an important time 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 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 show that only one in every six children receives care from a mentor that is imperative in their formative years. The organization also works alongside government institutions, such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI, to continue providing for the children who need adult leadership most.
On January 24 and 25, MENTOR will host its annual National Mentoring Summit, 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.
The basic needs for mentees can range from help on a difficult homework assignment, 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.
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. All are encouraged to join the America's Promise Grad Nation movement to eliminate the dropout crisis through a commitment to youth services and public action. Volunteering time to become a mentor this month will help fulfill a key promise in the battle to end dropouts.
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.