Mentoring Mixer-Wednesday, January 22. Learn about adult to youth mentoring in Chaffee County.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT
January 7, 2020 Kenny Wilcox
[email protected]
719-530-2581
Family and Youth Initiatives (FYI) CELEBRATES NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH WITH
A Mentor Mixer on January 22, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the front room of the Boathouse
Who: Anyone Interested in learning more about adult to youth mentoring in Chaffee County
January is National Mentoring Month, and this year FYI is celebrating the annual campaign aimed at expanding quality mentoring opportunities to connect more of our community’s young people with caring adults.
Research shows that mentors play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to strive and thrive, to attend and engage in school, and to reduce or avoid risky behavior like drug use. In turn, these young people are:
– 55% more likely to be enrolled in college
– 81% more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities
– 78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities.
– More than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team.
Yet, the same research shows that one in three young people in our country will grow up without a mentor. Today, in our community there are young people who could benefit from having a mentor outside their family.
At the same time, research shows that 44% of adults are not yet mentoring but are willing to consider it and mentoring is poised for growth. 18- to 29-year-olds are more than twice as likely to cite having had a mentor in their childhood than those over 50. Almost half of today’s young adults report having a mentor in their youth and those rates appear to have been rising steadily over the past several decades.
National Mentoring Month is the time of year where engagement from community members interested in becoming a mentor is highest. With the support of the mentoring community, we are encouraging the public to go beyond just digital engagement – and become involved in real life.
To learn more about the role mentoring plays in our community and to find volunteer opportunities visit chaffeecountyfyi.org and or come visit us on January 22.