Mentoring youth from disadvantaged backgrounds can give them a better chance at finding stability and living to their full potential. These youth face bigger challenges at home and school than their peers. Left to their own, they are likely to succumb to negative influences, taking them down a destructive path. But with proper guidance from a consistent, caring adult, the youth are more likely to overcome the challenges they face.
The National Center for Children in Poverty estimates that 19 percent of children in America live in low-income families. These families either live 100 percent below the federal poverty line or within 100 and 199 percent of it. That’s more than 27 million children.
Studies show that these children are more likely to engage in risky behavior like running away from home, joining a gang, stealing, or engaging in sex before age 16. Further studies show that one in three of these children do not complete high school, denying them the skills and opportunities they need to better their lives.
Mentorship can help these children stick to the right path and turn their lives around if they have fallen behind. Through mentor-mentee relationships, the youth learn and receive advice directly from responsible role models who care about their lives and want to see them succeed. They get reassurance that they are not alone, that they have someone to guide them through tough times, and that they matter.
In the long run, these meaningful connections are life-changing. Studies show that children with mentors are 55 percent less likely to skip school, 46 percent less likely to use drugs, 78 percent more likely to volunteer, 81 percent more likely to participate in extracurricular activities, and 130 percent more likely to attain leadership positions. Among youth who face opportunity gaps, those who have a mentor are 55 percent more likely to get a college enrollment than those who do not.
Beyond school, mentors prepare mentees for professional careers. They help them set and achieve career goals and teach them valuable skills like job seeking, answering interview questions, and maintaining their job positions. In some cases, mentors even use their personal contacts to help mentees secure internships or career opportunities.
If you would like to mentor youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, you can tap into the mentorship opportunities made possible by local organizations. For example, in North Carolina, you can go to Mentornc.org to receive free technical assistance relating to mentoring. The organization has a rich database of mentoring programs that professionals can search through various local programs to find the right fit. Once they have, they can contact these programs directly about volunteering.
A more involving but rewarding alternative is to establish a mentoring program in your community. This may be necessary for underprivileged communities that do not have access to mentorship programs. You can assess the needs of your community, identify the problems youth face, and then design an appropriate mentoring program that addresses them to guide youth toward a desired outcome.
You will further have to determine a methodology for recruiting mentors, find a place where mentors and mentees can meet, and establish a baseline level of engagement by mentors. For example, mentors should be willing to meet with mentees a specific number of times a week or month. It would help if you also established policies and procedures for the program and set up a management team to supervise the program.
If starting a program is your only option, seek the assistance of a national mentoring organization or youth-focused community organization to design, implement, and continuously monitor the program. You can also reach out to local schools and government agencies.
