WHAT IS MENTORING?
Mentoring, at its core, guarantees young people that there is someone who cares about them, assures them they are not alone in dealing with day-to-day challenges, and makes them feel like they matter.
WHY MENTOR?
Research confirms that quality mentoring relationships have powerful positive effects on young people in a variety of personal, academic, and professional situations. Ultimately, training and mentoring connects a young person to personal growth and development, education, and social and economic opportunity. Yet one in three young people will grow up without this critical asset.
1 in 3 young people in the U.S. will reach the age of 19 without having a mentor. This is the mentoring gap in the United States that Mentor California aims to bridge.
WHAT IS "THE MENTORING GAP"?
WHY DOES MENTORING MATTER?
▪ Mentored youth are 55% more likely to be enrolled in college than those who do not have a mentor.
▪ Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip a class.
▪ Mentored youth are 46% less likely than their peers to start using drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking.
▪ Mentored youth are 81% more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities.
▪ Mentored youth are more than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team.
▪ Mentored youth are 78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities.
▪ The most conservative study of mentoring estimates a $3 to $1 return on investment.