III 110th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 430 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES January 25, 2008 Mr. Kennedy (for himself, Mr. McCain, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Burr, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Coleman, Ms. Collins, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Obama, and Mr. Specter) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Designating January 2008 as National Mentoring Month.

Whereas youth mentoring establishes a structured and trusting relationship that brings young people together with caring individuals who offer guidance, support, and encouragement; Whereas a growing body of mentoring research provides strong evidence of success in reducing delinquency, substance use and abuse, and academic failure; Whereas research also shows that formal mentoring, aimed at developing the competence and character of the young person, promotes positive outcomes such as improved academic achievement, self-esteem, social skills, and career development; Whereas mentoring offers a supportive environment in which young people can grow, expand their vision, and achieve a future that they never thought possible; Whereas more than 15,000,000 young people in this Nation still need mentors, falling into a mentoring gap; Whereas more than 4,300 mentoring programs in communities of all sizes across the United States focus on building strong, effective relationships between mentors and mentees; Whereas public-private mentoring partnerships bring State and local leaders together to support mentoring programs by preventing duplication of efforts, offering training in industry best practices, and helping them make the most of limited resources to benefit the Nation’s youth; Whereas coordinated national, State, regional, and local efforts continue to need Federal support to allow more youth to be connected with the power of mentoring; Whereas several Federal agencies have come together to coordinate approaches to mentoring within the Federal Government through the Federal Mentoring Council and National Mentoring Working Group under the Corporation for National and Community Service; Whereas the designation of January 2008 as National Mentoring Month will help call attention to the critical role mentors play in helping young people realize their potential; Whereas the month-long celebration of mentoring will encourage more organizations across the United States, including schools, businesses, nonprofit organizations, faith institutions, foundations, and individuals to become engaged in mentoring; Whereas National Mentoring Month will, most significantly, build awareness of mentoring and encourage more people to become mentors and help close the Nation’s mentoring gap; and Whereas the President has issued a proclamation declaring January 2008 to be National Mentoring Month and calling on the people of the United States to recognize the importance of mentoring, to look for opportunities to serve as mentors in their communities, and to observe the month with appropriate activities and programs: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)designates the month of January 2008 as National Mentoring Month; (2)recognizes with gratitude the contributions of the millions of caring volunteers who already serve as mentors and encourages more individuals to volunteer as mentors; and (3)encourages the people of the United States to observe the month with appropriate ceremonies and activities that promote the awareness of, and volunteer involvement with, youth mentoring.