Do you remember who first taught you how to change a flat tire? Do you remember when someone took the time to help you understand a difficult mathematical equation? Perhaps you remember a time when your coach stayed late after practice until you mastered a particular position. No matter the situation, there was a person that played a role in your success.
In 2014, northwest Indiana witnessed the beginning of a mentoring movement among organizations. Local mentoring programs are now coordinating efforts to make mentoring an integral component of youth and workforce development, just like NIPSCO’s IN-POWER youth mentoring program in collaboration with the Urban League of Northwest Indiana and Ivy Tech Community College.
This January will mark the 14th annual National Mentoring Month. All month long, mentoring advocates will focus on expanding quality mentoring opportunities to connect more of our community’s young people with caring adults through programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Multiple studies have found a powerful “mentoring effect” in the lives of young adults. Mentorship is linked to improved academic, social and economic prospects for young people that ultimately strengthen our community. Specifically, research has shown that when matched through a quality mentoring program, mentors can play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to make responsible decisions, stay focused in school, and reduce or avoid risky behavior like skipping school, drug use and other negative activities.
For example, in a recent national report called The Mentoring Effect, young people who were at-risk for not completing high school but who had a mentor were 55 percent more likely to be enrolled in college than those who did not have a mentor. They were also:
81% more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities.
78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities.
More than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team.
This same report found that one in three young people in our country will grow up without a mentor.
Today in our community, there are hundreds of kids who could benefit from having a mentor. As we engage more community members to volunteer as mentors, I would like to share a simple message: Be Someone Who Matters to Someone Who Matters. Mentoring relationships are basic human connections that let a young person know that they matter and mentors frequently report back that their relationships make them feel like someone who matters in another person’s life.
This year, please join me in becoming a mentor in the life of someone who matters. Become a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters in Gary at the John Will Anderson Boys and Girls Club. For more information contact Alicia Pernaw at: pernaw@bbbschgo.org or 219-980-3800.
Other important dates for this public awareness campaign include:
January 8, 2015: “I Am a Mentor Day,” when volunteers across our community and the country will share their stories about being a mentor on social media using #SomeoneWhoMatters.
January 15, 2015: “Thank Your Mentor Day,” when we encourage anyone who has had a mentor to say thank you by sending a note, a card or sharing a story on social media using #SomeoneWhoMatters.
January 19, 2015: Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, when our nation will shine a spotlight on volunteerism and inspire people seeking service opportunities to learn more about mentoring.
National Mentoring Month is led by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and the Harvard School of Public Health with support from the Highland Street Foundation.