Mentoring

“At its most basic level, mentoring helps because it guarantees a young person that there is someone who cares about them. A child is not alone in dealing with day-to-day worries.”
(The National Mentoring Project)

According to Mentoring.org, over 17.6 million young Americans– nearly half the population of young people between 10 and 18 years of age – live in situations that put them at risk of not living up to their potential. Most of these young people need or want mentoring, but less than 20% are in high quality mentoring relationships. The prognosis for young people who age out of the foster care system are devastating: 50-60% will be unemployed & homeless. This is a particularly high risk group of young people who may fall through the cracks without mentors in their life. Without immediate intervention by caring adults, these at-risk young men & women could make choices that not only undermine their futures, but, ultimately, the economic and social well-being of their communities.

Could you be that one, safe, consistent adult in a child’s life, the one who helps him see his strengths and develop a game plan? Could you champion the cause of mentoring at-risk youth in your workplace? You may be the one to help a young woman understand behaviors that are rewarded or discouraged in personal relationships and a company culture. Mentors typically invest 3-7 hours per month in the life of a young person who does not have many support structures in his or her life. A mentor may be the one consistent cheerleader & guide in a life full of changes and transition.

Here’s the great part: you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are many quality mentoring programs with a history of making a difference that you can be part of. The value of a mentoring organization is that there are well-defined strategies for helping individuals as well as companies get involved effectively in the lives of at-risk youth.

Check out these great programs for more information in getting involved in your local community:

Citizen’s Schools helps all students to thrive in school and beyond through hands-on learning and career mentors. Our vision is for all students to have experiences and career mentors that ignite curiosity, build confidence, and help them develop into the next generation of leaders. What’s great about Citizen’s Schools is it is organized mentoring through a local school environment. They have done the hard work of getting access to the schools. You get to teach and mentor a group within those confines.

Big Brother’s and Big Sisters of America has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 18, in communities across the country.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America believes that character development, the basic building block in personal development, should be an integral aspect of every Club program and activity. A Boys & Girls Club provides a safe place to learn and grow, ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals, life-enhancing programs, character development experiences, hope and opportunity.

Best Buddies International Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Best Buddies is dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It has grown from one original chapter to more than 1,500 college, high school and middle school campuses across the country and internationally.

The Mentoring Project The Mentoring Project pairs trained community volunteer mentors with adult low-income college students to provide guidance as they navigate their path to postsecondary degree or certificate completion. The 1:1 relationship, conducted on-line, aims to create stability for the student through regular check-ins, good listening and supporting the student’s belief in their capacity to problem solve.

Want to talk to someone that is a mentor to learn more, contact us at mentoring(at)retailroi.org