Our Initiatives -Mentoring
According to MENTOR, a national mentoring organization, there are more than 14 million young people who need caring adults in their lives. It only takes one hour a week for you to help change that statistic and help one more child realize his or her potential by mentoring.
Mentoring is a proven and effective way to give youth the support and encouragement they need to stay in school and to grow both academically and personally. Studies have shown that when youth are mentored, they have better class attendance and a better chance of pursuing higher education. Mentoring also helps prevent substance abuse and improves communication between youth and their parents. Of course, mentoring is most effective when it is used alongside other services, including those that Communities In Schools of North Carolina offers.
Anyone can be a mentor, so long as a mentor is someone who, along with parents, provides young people with support, counsel, friendship, reinforcement and constructive example. Mentors are good listeners, people who care and people who want to help bring out a child’s strengths. Most importantly, mentoring is a relationship based on trust.
One innovative mentoring program used by some of our affiliates is an e-mentoring program created by IBM called Mentor Place. This mentoring occurs online, so children who need a mentor are able to have one, no matter how far away they live from each other.
We also work with the North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service on the North Carolina Mentoring Partnership, which is the state advocacy group for mentoring. This partnership has been created to increase the quality and number of mentors in North Carolina so every child who needs a mentor is matched with a caring adult. Each year, we lead North Carolina in its celebration of National Mentoring Month, which recognizes the efforts of mentors. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please visit MENTOR and search through its mentoring database.
