[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 66 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 66

Recognizing January 2017 as ``National Mentoring Month'', and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 27, 2017

 Mrs. Davis of California (for herself, Mr. Renacci, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, 
Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Bass, Mr. Schiff, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Sewell of 
Alabama, Ms. Adams, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Kilmer, and Mr. Grijalva) submitted 
   the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                      Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing January 2017 as ``National Mentoring Month'', and for other 
                               purposes.

Whereas in 2002, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and MENTOR: the 
        National Mentoring Partnership created National Mentoring Month;
Whereas 2017 is the 15th anniversary of National Mentoring Month;
Whereas the goals of National Mentoring Month are to raise awareness of 
        mentoring, recruit individuals to mentor, and encourage organizations to 
        engage and integrate quality mentoring into their efforts;
Whereas young people across the Nation make everyday choices that lead up to 
        life's big decisions without sufficient guidance and support;
Whereas a mentor is a caring, consistent presence who devotes time to help a 
        young person discover personal strength and achieve his or her potential 
        through a structured and trusting relationship;
Whereas quality mentoring encourages positive choices, promotes self-esteem, 
        supports academic achievement, and introduces young people to new ideas;
Whereas mentoring programs have been shown to be effective in combating school 
        violence, 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 mentors were 55 percent more likely to be 
        enrolled in college, 81 percent more likely to report participating 
        regularly in sports or extracurricular activities, more than twice as 
        likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team, 
        and 78 percent more likely to pay it forward by volunteering regularly 
        in their communities, and that 90 percent are now interested in becoming 
        mentors themselves;
Whereas mentoring can play a role in helping young people attend school 
        regularly, as research shows that students who meet regularly with their 
        mentors are 52 percent less likely than their peers to skip a day of 
        school and 37 percent less likely to skip a class;
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, and has a noticeable 
        influence on a young person's growth and success;
Whereas mentors prepare young people for professional careers by helping them 
        set career goals, introducing them to industry professionals, and 
        helping them train for and find jobs;
Whereas mentoring relationships are a shared opportunity for learning and 
        growth, changing both the mentor and the mentee;
Whereas mentoring relationships have enabled mentors to improve their self-
        esteem and feel like they are making a difference, develop a greater 
        appreciation for diversity, feel more productive, have a better attitude 
        at work, and enhance their own relationships;
Whereas all of the above listed benefits link youth to economic and social 
        opportunity while also strengthening the fiber of our communities; and
Whereas despite these benefits, 9 million 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 House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes National Mentoring Month;
            (2) recognizes the caring adults who serve as staff and 
        volunteers at quality mentoring programs and who help our young 
        people find inner strength and reach their full potential;
            (3) acknowledges that mentoring is beneficial because it 
        encourages educational achievement, encourages self-confidence, 
        reduces juvenile delinquency, improves life outcomes, and 
        strengthens communities;
            (4) promotes the creation and expansion of quality 
        mentoring programs across the country to equip young people 
        with the tools needed to lead healthy and productive lives; and
            (5) supports initiatives to close the ``mentoring gap''.
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