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Youth mentoring is the process of matching caring, concerned adults with young people who may be at risk. The adult is usually unrelated and works as a volunteer through a community, school or church based social service program. A more formal definition of youth mentoring is provided by the website InFed : "The classic definition of mentoring is of an older experienced guide who is acceptable to the young person and who can help ease the transition to adulthood by a mix of support and challenge. In this sense it is a developmental relationship in which the young person is inducted into the world of adulthood (Hamilton, 1991; Freedman, 1995)." HISTORY Many people have "natural mentors" as they grow up and transition into adulthood. These people might be aunts or uncles, grandparents, neighbors, teachers, pastors, coaches or family friends. These relationships are valuable to young people in many ways. However, many young people do not have these natural mentors (for a variety of reasons). So, social service programs have developed to fill this gap. These social service programs are of many varieties. Some developed from faith communities. Others are funded by government programs. Still others are community based without any formal affiliations. But they all share the common goal of strengthening our communities by providing mentors for young people. BENEFITS OF YOUTH MENTORING Intuitively we know youth mentoring is good for young people. However, many studies have provided evidence that youth mentoring has many positive outcomes for young people, adults and their communities. According to the National Mentoring Partnership , youth mentoring helps produce benefits such as:
Most youth mentoring programs have many success stories and feedback from their participants. Here are some examples: “I have the great luxury of knowing my son is having a good time and in good hands when he is with (his mentor). My son’s mentor played a major part in turning his life around. His experiences with his mentor have been completely positive ones. I could never thank them enough for the time they’ve spent and the influence they have had on my son’s life.” -Cheryl (parent) “A happy healthy daughter makes me a happier, healthier mom. I continue to inform people about this great program.” -Susan (parent) “She’s nice, she’s funny, we cook together…I wish (my mentor) could be in my life forever.” -Amber (child) “I have learned how to have fun with adults.” -Leiha (child) (The above examples are from the Kinship mentoring program ) YOUTH MENTORING SUPPORTERS Volunteers from many backgrounds have long been the backbone on youth mentoring programs. In recent years however, many high level elected officials have gotten involved to help promote youth mentoring. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush have been two important supporters of youth mentoring. "…If you want to serve America, become a mentor." -President George W. Bush Click here for article. Other notable elected officials include Florida Governor Jeb Bush who mentored a child on a weekly basis for over six years. "Governor's Mentoring Initiative Bringing Results for Florida's Students" Click here for article. Also, the governors of California, Arizona, North Carolina and Texas have all established initiatives to help support and promote youth mentoring. Arizona California North Carolina Texas NATIONAL YOUTH MENTORING ORGANIZATIONS These are some larger organizations actively involved in youth mentoring in the USA: Kinship, Inc. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America YOUTH MENTORING RESOURCES These organizations provide information, training, awareness and advocacy for youth mentoring: MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota |