[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 356 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>






114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 356

         Recognizing January 2016 as National Mentoring Month.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 2, 2016

 Mr. Isakson (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Booker, Mr. Brown, Mrs. 
Capito, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Cornyn, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
         Recognizing January 2016 as National Mentoring Month.

Whereas, in 2002, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and MENTOR: the 
        National Mentoring Partnership established National Mentoring Month;
Whereas the goals of National Mentoring Month are--

    (1) to raise awareness of mentoring;

    (2) to recruit individuals to mentor; and

    (3) to encourage organizations to engage and integrate quality in 
mentoring into the efforts of the organizations;

Whereas young people across the United States make everyday choices that lead up 
        to the big decisions in life without the guidance and support on which 
        many other people rely;
Whereas a mentor is a caring, consistent presence who devotes time to a young 
        person to help that young person--

    (1) discover personal strength; and

    (2) achieve the potential of that young person through a structured and 
trusting relationship;

Whereas quality mentoring--

    (1) encourages positive choices;

    (2) promotes self-esteem;

    (3) supports academic achievement; and

    (4) introduces young people to new ideas;

Whereas mentoring programs have shown to be effective in combating school 
        violence and discipline problems, substance abuse, incarceration, and 
        truancy;
Whereas research shows that young people who were at risk for not completing 
        high school but who had a mentor were, as compared to similarly situated 
        young people without a mentor--

    (1) 55 percent more likely to be enrolled in college;

    (2) 81 percent more likely to report participating regularly in sports 
or extracurricular activities;

    (3) more than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in 
a club or sports team; and

    (4) 78 percent more likely to pay it forward by volunteering regularly 
in their communities;

Whereas 90 percent of young people who were at risk for not completing high 
        school but who had a mentor said they are now interested in becoming 
        mentors themselves;
Whereas youth development experts agree that mentoring encourages smart daily 
        behaviors (such as finishing homework, having healthy social 
        interactions, and saying no when it counts) that have a noticeable 
        influence on the growth and success of a young person;
Whereas mentors help young people set career goals and use the personal contacts 
        of the mentors to help young people meet industry professionals and find 
        jobs;
Whereas all of the described benefits of mentors serve to link youth to economic 
        and social opportunity while also strengthening the fiber of communities 
        in the United States; and
Whereas despite the described benefits, 9,000,000 young people in the United 
        States feel isolated from meaningful connections with adults outside 
        their homes, constituting a ``mentoring gap'' that demonstrates a need 
        for collaboration and resources: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes January 2016 as National Mentoring Month;
            (2) recognizes the men and women who serve as staff and 
        volunteers at quality mentoring programs and who help the young 
        people of the United States find inner strength and reach their 
        full potential;
            (3) acknowledges that mentoring is beneficial because 
        mentoring encourages educational achievement, reduces juvenile 
        delinquency, improves life outcomes, and strengthens 
        communities;
            (4) promotes the establishment and expansion of quality 
        mentoring programs across the United States to equip young 
        people with the tools needed to lead healthy and productive 
        lives; and
            (5) supports initiatives to close the ``mentoring gap'' 
        that exists for the many young people in the United States 
        without meaningful connections with adults outside their homes.
                                 <all>