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[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 394 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>

115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 394

         Recognizing January 2018 as National Mentoring Month.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 6, 2018

 Mr. Isakson (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Booker, Mr. Brown, Mrs. 
Capito, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Wyden, 
     and Mr. Peters) submitted the following resolution; which was 
                        considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
         Recognizing January 2018 as National Mentoring Month.

Whereas the goals of National Mentoring Month are--

    (1) to raise awareness of mentoring;

    (2) to recruit individuals to mentor;

    (3) to celebrate the powerful impact of caring adults who volunteer 
time for the benefit of young people; and

    (4) to encourage organizations to engage and integrate quality in 
mentoring into the efforts of the organizations;

Whereas young people across the United States make everyday choices that lead to 
        the big decisions in life without the guidance and support on which many 
        other people rely;
Whereas a mentor is a caring, consistent presence who devotes time to a young 
        person to help that young person--

    (1) discover personal strength; and

    (2) achieve the potential of that young person through a structured and 
trusting relationship;

Whereas quality mentoring--

    (1) encourages positive choices;

    (2) promotes self-esteem;

    (3) supports academic achievement; and

    (4) introduces young people to new ideas;

Whereas mentoring programs have shown to be effective in helping young people 
        make positive choices;
Whereas young people who meet regularly with mentors are 46 percent less likely 
        than peers to start using illegal drugs;
Whereas research shows that young people who were at risk for not completing 
        high school but who had a mentor were, as compared with similarly 
        situated young people without a mentor--

    (1) 55 percent more likely to be enrolled in college;

    (2) 81 percent more likely to report participating regularly in sports 
or extracurricular activities;

    (3) more than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in 
a club or sports team; and

    (4) 78 percent more likely to pay it forward by volunteering regularly 
in the communities of young people;

Whereas 90 percent of young people who were at risk for not completing high 
        school but who had a mentor said they are now interested in becoming 
        mentors themselves;
Whereas mentoring can play a role in helping young people attend school 
        regularly, as research shows that students who meet regularly with a 
        mentor are, as compared with the peers of those students--

    (1) 52 percent less likely to skip a full day of school; and

    (2) 37 percent less likely to skip a class;

Whereas youth development experts agree that mentoring--

    (1) encourages positive youth development and smart daily behaviors 
such as finishing homework and having healthy social interactions; and

    (2) has a positive impact on the growth and success of a young person;

Whereas mentors help young people set career goals and use the personal contacts 
        of the mentors to help young people meet industry professionals and 
        train for and find jobs;
Whereas each of the benefits of mentors described in this preamble serve to link 
        youth to economic and social opportunity while also strengthening 
        communities in the United States; and
Whereas, despite those described benefits, 9,000,000 young people in the United 
        States feel isolated from meaningful connections with adults outside the 
        home, constituting a ``mentoring gap'' that demonstrates a need for 
        collaboration and resources: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes January 2018 as National Mentoring Month;
            (2) recognizes the caring adults who--
                    (A) serve as staff and volunteers at quality 
                mentoring programs; and
                    (B) help the young people of the United States find 
                inner strength and reach their full potential;
            (3) acknowledges that mentoring is beneficial because 
        mentoring supports educational achievement and self-confidence, 
        reduces juvenile delinquency, improves life outcomes, and 
        strengthens communities;
            (4) promotes the establishment and expansion of quality 
        mentoring programs across the United States to equip young 
        people with the tools needed to lead healthy and productive 
        lives; and
            (5) supports initiatives to close the ``mentoring gap'' 
        that exists for the many young people in the United States who 
        do not have meaningful connections with adults outside the 
        home.
                                 <all>
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