October Update
By Shannon Payne, PEAK Mentor Program Director
Youth mentoring is a process where an older person serves as a guide to help make the transition to adulthood easier. Mentors can help young people in their education, work, and daily life, depending on where they most need help. They ensure that, no matter what happens, they're not alone.
In this context, you may hear terms like "at-risk youth" and "at-risk students" going around. To clarify, these terms largely mean the same thing. Young people are considered "at-risk" if they are at risk of failing academically and are less likely to become independent adults. Here are a few traits that often appear in at-risk youth:
- Truancy.
- Emotional/behavioral problems.
- Poor grades.
- Lack of interest in school.
- Disengagement from school environment.
Sometimes, youth need a more holistic approach to get "back on track." Or maybe the person is just facing some issues in their life that need to be addressed. These youth may just need a positive adult presence (mentor), someone they can lean on. In this case, life mentoring can prove helpful.
Mentoring has several positive effects on youth. Here are a few examples:
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It helps prevent harmful habits. Youth with a mentor are 46% less likely to start using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking than other people their age.
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It has social benefits. If they have a mentor, students facing an opportunity gap are 81% more likely to participate regularly in sports or other extracurricular activities.
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It's good for mental health. Mentoring has been shown to reduce the symptoms of depression.
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It has interpersonal benefits. Mentoring promotes positive attitudes toward other people in society. It helps reduce antisocial (delinquent) behavior. Also, mentored youth tend to have better relationships with their parents, and communicate better with them.
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Develops leadership – Youth who had a mentor are 130% more likely to hold leadership positions.
Inspirational – Mentorship inspires youth to want to help others as well. 90% of youth who had a mentor are interested in becoming a mentor themselves.
If you are interested in becoming a PEAK Mentor and being a positive influence in a kid's life, please reach out via email, phone, text, or Facebook to Shannon Payne shannon@cartercountydrugprevention.org (423) 707-9207. Please refer kiddos that could benefit from our program via email or phone.
Every kid is one caring adult away from being a success story! |