The Impact
The influence of mentors on youth has been clearly established. From early years, kids with mentors usually have improved school attendance and decreased disciplinary issues. Older kids have improved high school graduation rates and more successfully launch to college or a career path.
Kids benefit.
- 85% say a mentor helped them with issues related to school or their education.
- 58% say their mentor helped support their mental health.
- 74% indicate a mentor significantly contributed to their success beyond their youth.
The benefits of this support ripple farther, reflecting an individual who is more involved in their community, more likely to participate in clubs/sports in a leadership capacity, and also more inclined to volunteer themselves.
Adults benefit, too.
As mentorship has grown, organizations like MENTOR have investigated the long-term effects of mentoring relationships with surveys that include adults.
- 56% of a multi-generational survey group indicated their mentor directly affected their success in life.
- This percentage increased when questions were directed to individuals from low-income and marginalized backgrounds or with multiple negative childhood experiences.
Get Connected
January celebrates National Mentoring Month. The post-holiday season is the perfect time to develop mentoring relationships. For some, family and friends have returned to their daily lives, often out of state. This leaves an emptiness. Combined with winter weather, one can quickly feel isolated and lonely. For others, the altruism that peaked during the holidays has faded. Food and housing insecurities return to the forefront. Troubled relationships and mental health issues are exacerbated by stress, if only in the form of holiday overspending.
January is a time when people need people.
PRCF partners with organizations who support mentoring. Here are a few resources to help you, or someone you know, connect with a mentoring relationship. Everyone deserves to have a hero, or be a hero, in life!
This program provides diverse, relatable mentorships for students in the Pottstown School District. The programs and success stories are diverse and impressive. Positive change thrives as students broaden their horizons and connect with successful, inclusive role models.
This thriving community helps kids become passionate about learning, and inspires them to continue through high school graduation and beyond. Often, the same students who were in danger of dropping out of school manage a complete turnaround and become activists themselves.
Learn more about STRIVE’s programs and how they help our community’s youth. Are they a fit for your student?
Discover ways to give back: Become a STRIVE mentor, volunteer, or donor. Visit here.
This faith-based organization partners with local churches to pair students with mentors. From after-school homework help to theater and summer camp programs, this community shares educational resources and nurtures support-based relationships for low-income families in Pottstown. Cutting-edge learning modules include STEM resources as well as the arts.
Helping youth find purpose and spirituality, these students learn to practice “loving your neighbor as yourself.” Learn about more of Project Purpose’s goodness; browse their newsletters. Discover how they can benefit you or a neighbor.
Students are awaiting volunteers. Consider ways you, your church, or your business can get involved. Visit here.
Founded by Denise Williams based on her own lived experience, this organization helps individuals develop resilience, particularly after trauma. Programs include everything from coaching to corporate workshops with the mission to advance mental health, inclusivity, and youth empowerment. Be ReZilient especially focuses on helping families create safe spaces where they can become stronger, more exposed to opportunities, and more motivated to seize those opportunities. The outcome: Learning to lean on, and contribute to, a thriving community.
One of the most well-known mentorship programs for youth, this organization has a match for every child. Regardless of background or circumstances, Big Brothers/Big Sisters meets young people where they are.
This program helps its Big and Little “siblings” alike. Approximately three-quarters of Littles say their Big expanded their view of life’s possibilities, including by introducing them to an interesting career path. Eighty-three percent of alumni Bigs enjoyed being exposed to diverse backgrounds and experiences that differed from their own.
Perhaps it is time to expand your family, with a Little or Big sibling. Learn the value of a sibling relationship, even if not through biology. Become a Big. Or, expand your child’s potential: Enroll a Little.
How Can You Benefit?
With the new year comes fresh goals and thoughtful intentions. Part of that includes growing into our best selves. Becoming a mentor or mentee can bring us one step closer. Help and be helped. These relationships are the heart of empowerment.
