Happy National Mentorship Month!
January is National Mentoring Month, and this year marks the 20th anniversary! Mentorship plays an invaluable role in the development of young people’s sense of self worth, wellness, academics, and healthy personal habits. The act in itself drives fruitful and meaningful support for both parties–the mentor and the mentee. The mentor serves as the guide to the mentee, directing them through personal and professional lived experiences. City of Dreams is built on this concept of positive adult presence–a presence that contributes to the fight against marginalization and delegitimization of young Black people.
Mentorship serves as a personal development practice for the youth within City of Dreams. It has proved to boost self esteem, provide mental health guidance, practice life skills, and overall deliver judgement-free support. These youth face the challenges of peer pressure, bullying, exclusion, trauma, poverty, marginalization, etc; oftentimes creating negative associations with the adults present in their lives. Ensuring healthy communication and positive encouragement builds up the relationship of the mentee with the adults around them. The presence of a mentor that believes in the child lessens the likelihood of them making critical mistakes or pursuing dangerous habits. Mentored youth are 130% more likely to hold leadership positions as they grow up, 55% are more likely to enroll in college, and 89% go on to become a mentor themselves. At City of Dreams, we have seen incredible improvement in academic performance and the pursuit of greater opportunities!
From struggling academically to earning A’s and B’s
From juvenile incarceration to the pursuit of job and modeling opportunities
From falling significantly behind in reading level compared to their peers to leading reading circles–all within months!
Our mentors play priceless roles in the organization, contributing to the transformation of youth who often face broken promises and compromised futures. Mentors, you are a force for change. Join us in healing and achieving new heights for the youth!
Happy National Mentorship Month!