III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 498 

Recognizing January 2022 as ‘‘National Mentoring Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 20, 2022 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself, Mr. BLUNT, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. KENNEDY, 

Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. PETERS, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. REED, Mr. 

LANKFORD, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. CORNYN, Ms. SMITH, and Mr. 

SULLIVAN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing January 2022 as ‘‘National Mentoring Month’’. 

Whereas the goals of National Mentoring Month are to raise 

awareness of and celebrate the powerful impact of mentoring relationships, recruit new mentors, and encourage 

institutions to integrate quality mentoring into their policies, practices, and programs; 

Whereas quality mentoring fosters positive life and social 

skills, promotes self-esteem, bolsters academic achievement and college access, supports career exploration, and 

nurtures youth leadership development; 

Whereas mentoring happens in many settings, including community-based programs, elementary and secondary 

schools, institutions of higher education, government 


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•SRES 498 IS 

agencies, religious institutions, and the workplace, and in 

various ways, including formal mentoring matches and 

informal relationships with teachers, coaches, neighbors, 

faith leaders, and others; 

Whereas effective mentoring of underserved and vulnerable 

populations helps individuals confront challenges and 

enjoy improved mental health and social-emotional wellbeing; 

Whereas studies have shown that incorporating culture and 

heritage into mentoring programs can improve academic 

outcomes and increase community engagement, especially 

for Alaska Native and American Indian youth; 

Whereas youth development experts agree that mentoring encourages positive youth development and smart daily behaviors, such as finishing homework and having healthy 

social interactions, and has a positive impact on the 

growth and success of a young person; 

Whereas mentors help young people set career goals and can 

help connect mentees to industry professionals to train 

for and find jobs; 

Whereas mentoring programs generally have a significant, 

positive impact on youth academic achievement, school 

connectedness and engagement, and educational success, 

which leads to outcomes such as improved attendance, 

grades and test scores, and classroom behavior; 

Whereas research has found that young people facing a risk 

of not completing high school but who had a mentor 

were, compared with their peers, more likely to enroll in 

college, to participate regularly in sports or extracurricular activities, to hold a leadership position in a 


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•SRES 498 IS 

club or sports team, and to volunteer regularly, and less 

likely to start using drugs; 

Whereas mentoring has long been a staple of juvenile justice 

and violence prevention efforts, and can offer comprehensive support to youth at risk for committing violence or 

victimization, as mentoring can address many risk factors 

at once; 

Whereas mentoring relationships for youth facing risk, such 

as foster youth, can have a positive impact on a wide 

range of factors, including mental health, educational 

functioning and attainment, peer relationships, employment, and housing stability; 

Whereas mentoring programs have been found to positively 

impact many aspects of mental well-being, including reducing unhealthy coping mechanisms, improving interpersonal relationships, and reducing parental stress; 

Whereas mentoring is an innovative, evidence-based practice 

and, uniquely, is both a prevention and intervention 

strategy that can support young people of all demographics and backgrounds in all aspects of their lives; 

Whereas each of the benefits of mentors described in this preamble serves to link youth to economic and social opportunity while also strengthening communities in the 

United States; 

Whereas, despite the benefits of mentoring, one young person 

of every three is growing up without a mentor, which 

means a third of the young people of the United States 

are growing up without someone outside of the home to 

offer real life guidance and support; and 

Whereas this ‘‘mentoring gap’’ demonstrates the need for collaboration among the private, public, and nonprofit secVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Jan 21, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR498.IS SR498

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tors to increase resources for relationship-centric supports for youth in communities, schools, and workplaces: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes ‘‘National Mentoring Month’’; 

3 (2) recognizes the caring adults who serve as 

4 staff and volunteers at quality mentoring programs 

5 and help the young people of the United States find 

6 inner strength and reach their full potential; 

7 (3) acknowledges that mentoring supports edu8 cational achievement, engagement, and self-con9 fidence, supports young people in setting career 

10 goals and expanding social capital, reduces juvenile 

11 delinquency, and strengthens communities; 

12 (4) promotes the establishment and expansion 

13 of quality mentoring programs across the United 

14 States to equip young people with the tools needed 

15 to lead healthy and productive lives; and 

16 (5) supports initiatives to close the ‘‘mentoring 

17 gap’’ that exists for the many young people in the 

18 United States who do not have meaningful connec19 tions with adults outside the home. 

Æ 


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