[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 660 Engrossed in House (EH)]


H. Res. 660

                 In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                      February 8, 2006.
Whereas youth mentoring is a centuries-old concept, through which a dependable 
        adult provides guidance, support, and encouragement to help a young 
        person become a responsible, productive adult;
Whereas mentoring, when done well, helps young people stay in school and improve 
        academically, boosts self-esteem and communication skills, and improves 
        the chances of going on to higher education;
Whereas there are thousands of mentoring programs in communities of all sizes 
        across the United States, focused on building strong, effective 
        relationships between caring and responsible adults and young people who 
        need positive adult role models;
Whereas in spite of the great benefits mentoring provides, America has a serious 
        mentoring gap, with more than 15 million young people currently in need 
        of caring adult role models;
Whereas the demand for mentoring far exceeds the current capacity of local 
        mentoring programs and the number of adults who currently volunteer as 
        mentors;
Whereas on December 22, 2005, the President designated January 2006 as National 
        Mentoring Month to focus the Nation's attention on the essential role 
        mentoring plays in the lives of young people;
Whereas the 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
Whereas National Mentoring Month will, most importantly, build awareness of 
        mentoring and recruit more individuals to become mentors, helping close 
        our Nation's mentoring gap: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Mentoring Month;
            (2) acknowledges the hard work of individuals and groups who promote 
        mentoring and who are observing the month with appropriate ceremonies 
        and activities that promote awareness of and volunteer involvement with 
        youth mentoring; and
            (3) recognizes with gratitude the contributions of the millions of 
        caring adults who are already serving as mentors and encourages more 
        adults to volunteer as mentors.



            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.