Youth Mentoring
"Young people will find a way to meet their needs
even if this means moving in directions that are not approved of by family and/or community. Whether or how young people meet their needs depends in large part on the strength and direction of influences and opportunities in their lives".
-Youth Development Institute
Youth mentoring is one of the most under utilized tools in America for the successful development of intelligent and prosperous young men and women. Young people today need multi-dimensional care in order to successfully mature into well rounded individuals. Unfortunately, a majority of youth today are not receiving the attention they need in order to reach their full potential (Boyle 1). Without proper guidance, these youth are participating in high levels of at risk behaviors, such as substance abuse and violence. When faced with difficult situations, it is easy for a young person to make poor choices. A youth mentor provides an extra outlet for these adolescents when a parent, sibling, or friend is not available, or even able to make the best choices for the adolescent. Youth mentoring is needed now more than ever. The multi-faceted needs of an adolescent are almost more complex than that of an adult. At such a young age teenagers and pre-teens are trying to understand right from wrong, learning how to take care of themselves, discovering who they are and establishing values. It is necessary for youth to have a strong and stable support system while growing up. Traditionally, parents are expected to fill this role. Today, however, that is not always the case. The divorce rate in the United States is soaring. Accordingly, as the divorce rate increases, so does the number of single parents. When marriages end, and divorce papers are signed, changes have to be made. One larger household is replaced by two smaller households. Instead of one set of bills, there are two. Visitation rights replace family time. Countless
-Youth Development Institute
Youth mentoring is one of the most under utilized tools in America for the successful development of intelligent and prosperous young men and women. Young people today need multi-dimensional care in order to successfully mature into well rounded individuals. Unfortunately, a majority of youth today are not receiving the attention they need in order to reach their full potential (Boyle 1). Without proper guidance, these youth are participating in high levels of at risk behaviors, such as substance abuse and violence. When faced with difficult situations, it is easy for a young person to make poor choices. A youth mentor provides an extra outlet for these adolescents when a parent, sibling, or friend is not available, or even able to make the best choices for the adolescent. Youth mentoring is needed now more than ever. The multi-faceted needs of an adolescent are almost more complex than that of an adult. At such a young age teenagers and pre-teens are trying to understand right from wrong, learning how to take care of themselves, discovering who they are and establishing values. It is necessary for youth to have a strong and stable support system while growing up. Traditionally, parents are expected to fill this role. Today, however, that is not always the case. The divorce rate in the United States is soaring. Accordingly, as the divorce rate increases, so does the number of single parents. When marriages end, and divorce papers are signed, changes have to be made. One larger household is replaced by two smaller households. Instead of one set of bills, there are two. Visitation rights replace family time. Countless
Cited: Boyle, Patrick. "Mentoring Pays Off". Youth Today. 9 Jan. 2004. 17 Mar. 2005. http://www.youthtoday.org/youthtoday/story1_9_04.html Kiddler, Rushworth M. "Consenting to Violence". Institute for Global Ethics. 6 March 2000. 20 Mar 2005. http://www.globalethics.org/members/commentary-03-06-00.html "Kid Notes". Young Life. 7 Apr 2005. http://www.younglife.org/pages/kidnotes.html#1 "Kids Never Forget a Mentor". Deparment of Social & Health Services. 8 Oct. 2004. 20 Mar 2005. http://www1.dshs.wa.gov/youthmentoring/ "NIDA Infofacts: High School and Youth Trends". National Institute on Drug Abuse. Dec. 2004. Mar 15 2005. http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/HSYouthtrends.html "Mentoring in Schools". Creating Safe and Drug Free Schools. Sep 1996. 15 Mar 2005. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSDFS/actguid/mentor.html "Statistics". Students Against Destructive Decisions. 5 April 2005. http://www.saddonline.com/stats.htm "Vision and Mission". Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. 5 April 2005. http://www.bbbsa.org/site/pp.asp?c=iuJ3JgO2F&b=14581