Pay It Forward – Mentor a Young Man
What would my life be like without my childhood mentors? I entertain that question often, especially as I invite others to mentor boys and young men. As a mentor, speaking into the life of a young person via your presence, words, and modeling can be life changing.
The numbers show it. Based on 55 studies of mentoring youth, introducing them to new experiences and sharing positive values, young people avoid negative behaviors and achieve success more readily. For example:
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- 59 percent of mentored teenagers earn better grades.
- 27 percent of mentored youth are less likely to begin using alcohol.
- 52 percent of mentored youth are less likely to skip school.
- Youth with mentors have increased likelihood of going to college, better attitudes toward school, increased social and emotional development, and improved self-esteem.
Pretty great, right? But this is another NOT so great statistic that MUST change. Only one in three students hoping for a mentor has one. Flip side, two out of three children do NOT. Again I reflect, what would my life be like today without the men and women who invested in me?
What’s it take to be a mentor with Loving Community?
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- Typically our mentoring initiatives require an investment of 2-3 hours per month.
- Most happen over two lunch periods in a month’s time.
- Run the numbers and you’ll find an investment of eating lunch with a student 16 times during an 8-month school year, or roughly 9% of your monthly lunches.
- You must go through a background check and attend a training.
- You must honor your commitment to your student.
Would you consider being on our team of mentors increasing the likelihood of a young man going to college, having better attitudes toward school, increasing social and emotional development, and improving their self-esteem?
ALL of us will eat lunch approximately 312 times this next year. During the 8-month period between October to May this WILL happen 224 times. What would it look like if you invested 16 of these lunch times or 7% to be a mentor? Bottom line it boils down to our WILLINGNESS to pay it forward!
You can find more information and sign up to be a lunchtime mentor or a reading mentor at our Volunteer Central link on the Loving Community website or contact Jim Mustain at jmustain@loving-community.net.
