Mentoring Changes a Young Person’s Life, and Yours Too

Become a Volunteer … Become a Sponsor

“Youth development experts now agree that mentoring is a critical element in any child’s social, emotional and cognitive development. It builds a sense of industry and competency, boosts academic performance and broadens horizons. Without doubt, young people who have the benefit of caring adult mentors navigate the path to adulthood more successfully.”

How One-on-One Mentoring Influences Youth

Recently Public/Private Ventures, a non-profit agency, tested the extent of measurable benefits that one national school-based mentoring program afforded youth participants. One of the questions explored was: Are there social, behavioral, attitudinal and academic benefits that students derive from mentoring?

The study concluded that student participants of 10 school-based mentoring programs showed overall improvements in

• academic performance,
• the quality of class work,
• the number of assignments turned in, and
• a reduction in serious school infractions, including visits to the principal’s office, fighting and suspensions.

Overall, youth in the study reported feeling more competent academically, tended to skip school less often, and had fewer unexcused absences.

Another benefit was that these youth were more likely to acknowledge the presence of a non-parental adult in their life, someone who they looked up too, who they could talk to about personal problems, and someone who cared about what happens to them. Additionally, these youth were more confident that they would attend and finish college.

Similar benefits documented in a 2002 study conducted by another organization showed students had a better attitude toward school attendance, less drug and alcohol use, improved social attitudes, more trusting relationships, and a better chance of going on to higher education.

Many Are Willing to Mentor, So Why Don’t We?

In a 2005 national poll commissioned by Mentor, results indicated that three million young people were involved in a structured one-on-one mentoring relationship. And, while that number was up from the 2.5 million noted in 2002, it was still only a fraction of the 17.6 million young people who could potentially benefit from having a mentor, according to the Mentoring in America 2005: A Snapshot of the Current State of Mentoring report.

Other significant findings of the poll showed that: 44 million adults are willing to serve as mentors; 96 percent of existing mentors would recommend mentoring to others; the majority of mentors are willing to work with youth in unique or difficult situations, including children whose parents are incarcerated, youth with disabilities and immigrant youth, and the average mentoring relationship lasts 9 months, while 38% last at least one year.

If such statistics hold true, and there are at least two times as many adults willing to mentor as there are youth who could benefit from the services of a mentor, then why aren’t there more mentors in the field?

What’s holding you back?

Perhaps you feel you do not have the time to mentor, or that you are already volunteering in other ways. Maybe you do not know how to start, or maybe you have never been asked to mentor. Or, is it that you don’t’ know what you might have to offer a young person, or you think you do not know how to mentor. Then, too, you just may not be sure what it is that a mentor does.

Whatever your concerns, you should feel free to contact us so we can help you resolve them. In addition to our school based one-on-one and group mentoring, The Mentoring Group also offers online mentoring through our partnership with IBM Corporation’s Mentor Place. This may assist you with the time factor while helping a youth gain valuable communication skills at the same time.

Also, The Mentoring Group offers a two hour structured training program to all of the mentors we bring on board, and we offer ongoing support to assist you with any issues or concerns that may arise as you build a relationship.

As to what you have to offer, well just being a friend and a good listener and a role model is often enough. Being a helper and a cheerleader and showing genuine and caring interest in your youth’s academic and personal success is useful too.

Of course, if your reluctance is that you have never been asked to mentor before …We are asking you now. Will you come back and share what you know to improve the life of one young person in your community? … Please.