Definition: "Mentoring is a structured, one to one relationship or partnership that focuses on the needs of the youth being mentored; fosters caring and supportive relationships, and encourages individuals to develop to their fullest potential. A mentor is a trusted guide and friend who is generally more senior in age and experience to the mentee. A mentor is a positive role model who provides access to people, places and things outside the mentee's customary environment. The mentoring relationship serves a vital role in helping youth develop important life skills such as decision making, conflict resolution, and long-range planning. By being active listeners, mentors encourage youth to develop good social skills, responsible values, and a positive identity." The Mass Mentoring Partnership's Mentoring A-Z Training Manual
Statistics show that a young person who meets with a mentor is:
- 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
- 27% less likely to begin drinking alcohol
- 52% less likely to skip schools
- 33% less likely to engage in a fight
National studies confirm that mentoring has many positive effects on students, including higher grades in school, improves behavior in school, a reduction in the use of illegal drugs and alcohol and improvement in self-confidence and personal skills.
Mentoring a young person is truly as simple a being a friend. Through consistent one-on-one relationships, mentors provide guidance and support to help young people reach their fullest potential.
Mentoring takes as little as one hour per week, but its impact lasts a lifetime. There are thousands of children in Palm Beach County waiting to be matched up with a mentor.
Having an adult mentor makes a big difference in the life of a child; especially to provide the message that education is important. Every child deserves that, but not all children have access to an adult role model.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said: "Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agrees to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."