Our 2012 Mentoring Initiative will expand the Brother/Sister Program to include School-Based Mentoring. This new opportunity will connect kids to a mentor who will meet with them once a week over the lunch hour during the school year.
One of the most important factors in a child’s ability to remain resilient during the tough childhood years is having positive adult role models in their lives, such as mentors. Mentors are caring individuals who move alongside young people to encourage them to reach their unique potential.
1 out of 4 kids in our area report they are not connected to positive adult role models
Sometimes kids just need another caring adult who believes in them. Research shows that mentoring helps create positive behaviors, increases the likelihood that youth will graduate on time and improves job readiness.
68% of local youth who have a Brother/Sister mentor report an increase in self-confidence and feel they have more options for the future
With a successful Campaign, United Way will increase mentoring opportunities for youth by continuing to support:
• YWCA’s Girls on the Run Program: connects over 400 girls to adult coaches/mentors who teach a message of self-respect & healthy living
• The YMCA’s Brother/Sister Program: matches over 180 youth one-on-one with a caring adult mentor.
Kids in our community currently wait 9-12 months for a mentor
United Way’s 2012 Mentoring Initiative will enable more kids to be matched up with a mentor through expansion of the Brother/Sister program to include School-Based Mentoring.
.
