III 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 335 

Designating January 2014 as ‘‘National Mentoring Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 16, 2014 

Ms. LANDRIEU (for herself, Mr. ISAKSON, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. SCHUMER, 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. CARPER, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. 

BROWN, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. SCOTT, Ms. WARREN, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. 

DURBIN, Mr. COCHRAN, and Mr. RUBIO) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating January 2014 as ‘‘National Mentoring Month’’. 

Whereas the goals of National Mentoring Month are to raise 

awareness of mentoring, recruit individuals to volunteer 

as mentors, and encourage organizations to engage and 

integrate quality mentoring into their efforts; 

Whereas mentoring is a longstanding tradition in which a dependable, caring adult provides guidance, support, and 

encouragement to facilitate the social, emotional, and 

cognitive development of a young person; 

Whereas a mentor is a caring, consistent presence who devotes time to a young person to help that young person 

discover personal strength and achieve their potential 

through a structured and trusting relationship; 


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Whereas research on mentoring shows that formal, high-quality mentoring programs focused on developing the competence and character of mentees promote positive outcomes, such as improved academic achievement, self-esteem, social skills, and career development; 

Whereas research shows that young people who are matched 

with a caring adult through a quality mentoring program 

are 46 percent less likely to use illegal drugs, 27 percent 

less likely to start drinking, 52 percent less likely to skip 

school, 37 percent less likely to skip class, and are more 

trusting of their parents or guardians; 

Whereas more than 5,000 mentoring programs in communities of all sizes across the United States focus on building strong, effective relationships between mentors and 

mentees; 

Whereas approximately 3,000,000 young people in the United 

States are in formal mentoring relationships due to the 

remarkable vigor, creativity, and resourcefulness of the 

thousands of mentoring programs in communities 

throughout the United States; 

Whereas in spite of the progress made to increase mentoring, 

the United States has a serious ‘‘mentoring gap’’, with 

nearly 15,000,000 young people in need of mentors; 

Whereas, in 2012, 399,546 children were in foster care in the 

United States, many of whom were without a mentor and 

26,000 of whom ‘‘aged out’’ of foster care by reaching 

adulthood without being placed in a permanent home; 

Whereas mentor programs that serve foster children are 

unique and require additional considerations, including 

specialized training and support necessary to provide for 


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consistent, meaningful, and long-term relationships for 

children in foster care; 

Whereas mentoring is a proven cost-effective investment; 

Whereas for every dollar invested in mentoring, there is a 3 

dollar return to society; 

Whereas mentoring partnerships between the public and private sectors bring State and local leaders together to support mentoring programs by preventing duplication of efforts, offering training in industry best practices, and 

making the most of limited resources to benefit young 

people in the United States; 

Whereas the designation of January 2014 as ‘‘National Mentoring Month’’ will call attention to the critical role mentors play in helping young people realize their potential; 

and 

Whereas a month-long celebration of mentoring will encourage more individuals and organizations, including schools, 

businesses, nonprofit organizations, faith institutions, 

and foundations, to become engaged in mentoring and 

close the mentoring gap in the United States: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates the month of January 2014 as 

3 ‘‘National Mentoring Month’’; 

4 (2) recognizes with gratitude the contributions 

5 of the millions of caring adults and students who are 

6 already serving as mentors and encourages more 

7 adults and students to volunteer as mentors; 


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1 (3) supports the goals of mentoring to increase 

2 educational achievement, reduce juvenile delin3 quency, and improve life outcomes for mentees; and 

4 (4) promotes the creation and expansion of 

5 quality mentoring programs across the country to 

6 equip more young people with the tools needed to 

7 lead healthy and productive lives. 

Æ 


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