We have a population of students in our high schools that are on track of not graduating. The reasons are varied; homeless, impoverished, poor support system, failed classes in previous years, poor attendance, incarcerated parents, single parent homes, peer pressure and bad decisions. Sometimes a student can get off track even if they have loving adults in their life. Mentors Care will partner with those and support them with a loving adult matched with their child. If a student does not have positive adult role models in their life, the student is in real risk of not graduating and having a future. Mentoring, at its core, guarantees young people that there is someone who cares about them, assures them they are not alone in dealing with day-to-day challenges, and makes them feel like they matter. Research confirms that quality mentoring relationships have powerful positive effects on young people in a variety of personal, academic, and their future. Ultimately, mentoring connects a young person to personal growth and development, and social and economic opportunity. Yet one in three young people will grow up without this critical asset. Young Adults Who Were Falling Off Track But Had a Mentor Are:
55% more likely to enroll in college
78% more likely to volunteer regularly
90% are interested in becoming a mentor
130% more likely to hold leadership positions. o In addition to better school attendance and a better chance of going on to higher education, mentored youth maintain better attitudes toward school. (The Role of Risk, 2013)
o Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip a class. (Public/Private Ventures study of Big Brothers Big Sisters)
