WHY MENTORS MATTER
1 in 3 American Youth do not grow up with a single positive mentor in their life. Nationally, 1 in 4 public school children drop out before they finish high school. There are 16 million youth in America. 9 million of those face a variety of challenges that put them at risk for falling off track. That is over half of our child population. Drugs, alcohol, and other self-destructive behaviors are only a few of the risk factors that present themselves when a role-model is not there for them. Many people do not realize it only takes 30 minutes to make an influence on someones life. That is less than .01% of our week!
THE IMPACT
Students who meet with their mentors regularly are 52% less likely to skip a day of school, and 37% less likely to skip a class. Youth who meet regularly with a mentor are 46% less likely to try illegal drugs, and 27% less likely to start drinking. 76% of at-risk young adults who have had a mentor aspire to enroll in college versus half of the at-risk young adults who had no positive influence in their life. Mentoring reduces "depression symptoms" and increases social acceptance. academic attitudes, and grades.
WHAT A MENTOR CAN BE
A mentor can be a friend, teacher, student, coach, leader, or parent. Make an impact as small as sitting with the lonely kid at lunch. These little moments are needed in giving a child hope. Communicate! The stories kids have are life changing. Going out of your comfort zone is an easy way to build a relationship.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Click the ABOUT tab and reach out to me, or visit my JOIN A PROGRAM post to get links to get involved today!
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