[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 12 (Tuesday, February 8, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H357-H360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  SUPPORTING NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH

  Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 46) supporting the goals and ideals of National 
Mentoring Month.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H. Res. 46

       Whereas mentors serve as role models, advocates, friends, 
     and advisors to youth in need;
       Whereas mentoring is a proven, effective strategy that 
     matches a caring, responsible adult with a child to provide 
     guidance and build confidence, stability, and direction for 
     that child;
       Whereas research has shown that mentoring has a definitive 
     impact on young people by increasing attendance at school, 
     improving rates of high-school graduation and college 
     attendance, and decreasing involvement with drugs, alcohol, 
     and violent behaviors;
       Whereas there are over 17.6 million children in this 
     country who need or want a mentor, yet just 2.5 million young 
     people are in mentoring relationships, leaving a ``mentoring 
     gap'' of 15.1 million young people;
       Whereas the establishment of a National Mentoring Month 
     would emphasize the importance of mentoring and recognize 
     with praise and gratitude the many Americans already involved 
     in mentoring;
       Whereas a month-long celebration of mentoring would 
     encourage more organizations--such as schools, businesses, 
     faith communities--and individuals to get involved in 
     mentoring; and
       Whereas the celebration of said month would, above all, 
     encourage more individuals to volunteer as 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) praises the millions of caring adults who have already 
     committed their time and energy to mentor a child; and
       (3) supports efforts to recruit more mentors in the United 
     States.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne).


                             General Leave

  Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on H. Res. 46.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Nebraska?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the recent elections that we had here in the United 
States indicate that many people were concerned about ``values'' in 
this kind of a loose term, and it seems like much of this concern is 
directed at a perceived erosion of our culture. A good amount of the 
data that we have uncovered would indicate that this concern certainly 
has merit.
  For example, nearly one half of our young people are growing up 
without both biological parents today. So roughly one-half of our young 
people have experienced some significant trauma in their lives because 
losing a biological parent is difficult for anyone.

[[Page H358]]

  More than 20 million children are fatherless in our country, and 
usually when they have no father, whether they are a young man or 
woman, they try to fill this void with activities which ofttimes are 
harmful, maybe gangs, drugs, promiscuity, whatever.
  A significant number of our children are involved in alcohol and drug 
abuse. Roughly 3 million young people in their teenage years currently 
are addicted to alcohol. That is 3 million. And hundreds of thousands, 
of course, are addicted to other substance abuse.
  Promiscuity, teen pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases have 
become a major problem. The out-of-wedlock birthrate has increased from 
5 percent in 1960 to 33 percent today. I observed a great deal of this 
growing dysfunction during my 36 years as a coach where I worked with 
young people, and I guess it is my premise that this unraveling of the 
culture may pose a greater long-term threat to our Nation than 
terrorism.
  That sounds like an overblown statement, but I believe it to be true 
because if we think about some of the great nations of the world 
throughout history, whether it be Rome, the British Empire, the Soviet 
Union, many of those great empires simply disappeared without a shot 
being fired.
  So what can we do? We certainly cannot legislate strong families, but 
we can promote mentoring. Mentoring works. Research shows many of the 
following to be true: Number one, mentoring improves academic 
performance. Children in good mentoring relationships have better 
attendance in school. The mentoring program that I am involved with 
personally has shown an 80 percent decrease in absenteeism from school, 
better graduation rates, fewer disciplinary referrals. Again, the 
mentoring program that I am involved with has shown a 70 percent 
reduction in referrals for discipline. Better grades, 40 percent better 
grades.
  Secondly, mentoring reduces high-risk behavior, reduces smoking, drug 
and alcohol abuse, in some cases by as much as 50 percent. Promiscuous 
behavior is reduced, and violent and criminal behavior also begin to be 
diminished.
  Mentoring enhances a number of social factors. It improves self-
esteem. Relationships with peers and parents improve. Personal hygiene 
also is improved.
  So a mentor is, I guess, three things to me: Number one, a mentor is 
someone who cares. I talked to a mentor not long ago who showed up in 
school and was going to mentor this young guy, and he came to class and 
there was one student sitting there, his mentee, and the teacher. And 
he asked the young guy what was going on, and he said there was a field 
trip that day and they were going to a bowling alley and this young guy 
stayed because he knew his mentor was coming, and that mentor was 
probably the only adult in his life who really connected with him and 
cared about him. So a mentor is someone who cares.
  Secondly, a mentor is someone who affirms. And I noticed that it was 
so important in coaching if one told a player that they believed in 
him, if they affirmed his behavior, they said they thought he had a 
future, ofttimes he would grow into that which he did not even know 
himself that he could become. So affirmation is something that nobody 
can live without for any length of time.
  And then, thirdly, mentoring provides a vision. So many young people 
have never seen an adult in their family who gets up and goes to work 
every day, or maybe someone in their family who keeps their word and 
has a good work ethic. So a role model, a vision, is important.
  Roughly 17 million children in the United States at the present time 
either need or want a mentor. We have roughly 2.5 million mentors that 
are provided. So we are about 15 million short. So we spend billions of 
dollars on prisons and drugs and alcohol abuse. Roughly $50 billion a 
year is spent on underage drinking and its dysfunction. We spend money 
on foster care and crime, but little on prevention. Usually about 2 to 
3 percent of the State and Federal budget is spent on prevention such 
as mentoring.
  Mentoring works. There is a great mentoring program here in the House 
called Horton's Kids. Four members of my staff are mentors, and we 
appreciate that very much.
  So I urge support of H. Res. 46, which recognizes and encourages 
mentoring.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Nebraska for his 
leadership in bringing this resolution, recognizing National Mentoring 
Month, to the floor today; and also want to commend the gentleman from 
Ohio (Chairman Boehner) and the gentleman from California (Mr. George 
Miller of California), ranking member, for their leadership roles in 
making this legislation possible to be heard.
  Since coming to Congress, the gentleman from Nebraska has worked to 
make youth issues a national priority, and this resolution is another 
example of his dedication to this effort.
  Without a doubt, Mr. Speaker, mentoring is a proven strategy that can 
change the lives of children and youth, and I might add, add value to 
the lives of those who provide the mentoring service.
  When a young person is matched with a caring, responsible individual, 
this relationship often makes a positive difference in the quality of 
life for that young person. For too long we have focused on providing 
remedies to problems that only address negative behavior, rather than 
looking at ways to promote the positive and healthy development of our 
young people. This resolution directs us to focus on what children need 
in order to grow into healthy, safe, and well-educated adults, making 
sure that children have access to a caring and responsible adult 
relationship.

                              {time}  1430

  A recent report from the Greater West Town Community Development 
Project showed that nearly 18 percent of Chicago public school students 
drop out. Another report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation showed that 
more than 200 Chicago-area children are living in severely distressed 
neighborhoods. These are among the tens of thousands of Chicago area 
youth who could dramatically benefit from having a mentor, since 
without one, some would never be exposed to healthy, productive 
lifestyles and the development of real-life skills. Research shows that 
young people who are mentored had a stronger attachment to school, have 
higher graduation rates, and decreased involvement with drugs and 
violence.
  Mentoring opens young people's eyes to a brighter future, and every 
young person deserves that opportunity. But right now there are simply 
not enough mentors to go around. Only about 1,000 of the more than 1 
million school-age children in the Chicago area are fortunate enough to 
have a mentor. A mentor, of course, is an adult, who along with 
parents, provides young people with support counsel, friendship, and a 
constructive example. The average mentor spends 8 to 10 hours a month 
with his or her mentee on activities such as doing homework, going to 
the library, playing in the park, and playing sports.
  This resolution brings much-needed attention to the value of 
mentoring and encourages communities to focus their efforts on 
recruiting more mentors so that we can fill the gap that currently 
exists. I am proud of the many mentoring programs that are already in 
place in the Chicagoland area, such as Mercy Home's Friends First 
Program and Sinai Mentoring Program, which links Mount Sinai Hospital 
professionals with youth from North and South Lawndale High Schools.
  I also congratulate Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Metropolitan 
Chicago, which is spearheading a number of local events to mark 
National Mentoring Month. It has partnered with organizations, 
including Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, 
Community Resource Network, Cook County Juvenile Court Mentoring 
Network, Horizons For Youth, the Jewish Children's Bureau, Lifelink 
Latino Special Services Program, Mercy Home For Boys and Girls, and 
Uhlich Children's Advantage Network and Working in Schools.
  I also want to commend the Chicago public school system, the board of 
education, for the development of a program called Cradle to the 
Classroom,

[[Page H359]]

where they had mentors who worked individually with young parents and 
students who had become pregnant and who had children and yet have been 
able to finish their high school education and graduate with the help 
of a mentor.
  In Chicago and across the country, it is clear that the framework is 
in place. Now we just need more people to volunteer their time and help 
change the life of a child.
  I am very pleased to be associated with many groups and organizations 
like the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, which has a great national 
mentoring program, and especially my local chapter, Mu Mu Lambda. I am 
also pleased to be associated with the 100 Black Men of America, who 
have mentoring programs and chapters throughout the Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, once again I want to commend the gentleman from Nebraska 
for his insight, dedication, and continuous work with the development 
of the young people, as expressed in this resolution. I urge strong 
support for it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Davis) for his kind words.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Boehner), the chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, 
a strong supporter of mentoring.
  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, let me thank my colleague from Nebraska for 
yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 46, which 
celebrates mentors who are positively impacting the lives of young 
people and highlights the need for additional mentors that we need 
around the country.
  I want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. 
Osborne), who never lets a day go by without pushing this project of 
his to increase the number of mentors that we have around the country. 
He has clearly been the leader in the House on this issue, and without 
his efforts we would not have this resolution on the floor today, nor 
would the Federal Government be nearly as involved in mentoring as it 
is.
  We all know that mentors give their time and energy to improve the 
lives of American young people, and they are doing it in many different 
ways. I am involved in a group here in Washington called Everybody Wins 
that is a reading mentoring program that many staffers here on the Hill 
participate in, and, frankly, a number of Members participate in. While 
I help them with their organizational efforts, I have often felt 
somewhat guilty that I did not take the time every week to go over to 
Tyler Elementary School and actually sit down and read, as many of my 
staff have over the years.
  In Ohio, we have a reading program sponsored by Governor Taft called 
Ohio Reads, and it has involved tens of thousands of adults around the 
State going into schools and helping children better learn to read and 
providing a positive role model for those children.
  I want to just take a moment to thank all of those who are mentoring 
around the country today and encourage others to take a more active 
role. The gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) and the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis) pointed out the effects of mentoring, the less 
likelihood of the use of alcohol and the less likelihood of violent 
behavior. We know that far too many young people in today's society are 
growing up without adult role models close to them in their lives. Here 
is something where mentors can help fill that gap and help improve the 
lives and the outcomes for many children around our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to applaud these efforts today and applaud my 
colleagues for bringing this resolution to the floor. I urge Americans 
who want to take a more active role in their community to think about 
mentoring.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time 
as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), my 
colleague on the Committee on Education and the Workforce.
  Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, as one of the co-chairs of 
the Mentoring Caucus, I rise today in support of House Resolution 46, 
to express the sense of Congress and the House of Representatives 
regarding the many benefits of mentoring.
  Mentoring programs, as we are talking about them here today, link 
children with caring, responsible adults to provide opportunities for 
young people to develop strong character and new capabilities. 
Mentoring opportunities are a proven method, as has been pointed out, 
to help children who may be struggling in school or at home or just in 
life. We need to take advantage of mentoring opportunities to allow 
every child to become self-sufficient, have better self-esteem, and 
feel that they too can achieve the American Dream.
  In my own State of Minnesota, there are over 350 mentoring programs. 
They connect youth with positive role models. In Minnesota, in the St. 
Paul-Minneapolis area, we have Big Brothers and Big Sisters. In that 
two-city area alone, 2,000 children benefit from mentoring programs; 
and in 2005, Big Brothers and Big Sisters in St. Paul-Minneapolis hope 
to reach 5,000 children.
  There is a St. Paul police officer, and she in her spare time mentors 
youth. She does so because she has the help of a local church in which 
to meet. I cannot tell you how proud I am when I go to graduation day 
and each and every one of those children receives a certificate, but 
she always remembers to give a certificate to the adults who mentor.
  Mentors make a difference, for a mentor can be a friend, a listener, 
a coach, a tutor, or just a confidante. A mentor is simply a person who 
cares enough to be a good listener at times and to offer the 
opportunity to open new doors and new worlds by offering encouragement 
and support along the way.
  I encourage all of my colleagues to support this resolution, and I 
look for opportunities for Members to be mentors themselves. As the 
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) pointed out, many of our staff 
are mentors. J.D. Burton, who recently left my staff, was a mentor for 
Thorton's Kids. He tutored for 3 years, and we worked at times our 
schedule around his mentoring schedule. I have many others in my office 
who are also mentors, and each and every one of them says that they get 
more out of the opportunity of mentoring than they could ever imagine.
  I would also like to thank the sponsor of this bill, the gentleman 
from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), for, you see, his family comes from a 
mentoring background. His cousin, the Honorable Kathleen Vellenga, took 
time to be a mentor of mine when I was in the Minnesota House of 
Representatives mentoring. You never know where it might lead you.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such 
time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. 
Davis), a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and I 
also say a member of the Davis Caucus.
  (Mrs. DAVIS of California asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to join my 
colleague, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), and others once 
again to cosponsor this resolution supporting National Mentoring Month.
  We share the experience and appreciate the value of spending time as 
an adult to mentor young people. It was my pleasure as the executive 
director of the Aaron Price Fellows Program in San Diego to organize 
civic experiences for a diverse group of young people and students with 
the potential to become strong leaders.
  The students that I had an opportunity to mentor learned about their 
local government. I took them to Sacramento to meet State government 
leaders, and brought them at that time to see D.C. and to see Congress 
in action. So you can imagine that it was one of my great pleasures now 
as a Member of Congress to welcome this group of students here every 
year as they encounter our national issues.
  I will never forget one of these very special young people. Her name 
is Arzo Mansury. She is an Afghan-American girl who, after graduation 
from UCSD, chose to work settling refugees from her birth country. She 
was really uniquely prepared to work with the Afghanistan embassy in 
the post-war reconstruction of her country. I have

[[Page H360]]

spoken to her on many occasions, and she believes that there is no way 
she could have done this without the kind of preparation, without the 
kind of mentoring that she received in this program.
  A delegation from the San Diego YMCA's Youth and Family Services 
Program came to my office today, and they described their new program 
called Y Friends. It is a mentoring program for children whose parents 
are in prison, children who are seven to eight times more likely to be 
incarcerated themselves. One young woman who has been through the Y's 
Transitional Living Skills Program is now a resident in Turning Point. 
This is a housing and counseling program for youth who have spent years 
in foster homes, but have passed the age of 18. Victoria, who had been 
in foster homes since she was 10, said, ``The key to a successful life 
for me is mentorship.''
  Finally, I want to mention that I have been privileged to meet with 
military spouses who have formed a mentoring program for other spouses 
who are dealing with the now frequent and lengthy deployment of their 
loved ones, and that program is making a great deal of difference for 
them.
  Mr. Speaker, I would ask Members to please join us in honoring the 
goals of these mentoring programs.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I simply would want to thank all of those who have 
spoken on behalf of this resolution. Again, I commend the gentleman 
from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) for his leadership, and would urge all 
adults who want to be helpful to become mentors.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my thanks to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and also the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. 
Davis) for their kind words and their support of this resolution.
  Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support 
for H. Res. 46, supporting the goals and ideals of National Mentoring 
Month.
  All children have the potential to succeed in life and contribute to 
society. However, not all children get the support they need to thrive. 
Mentoring is the presence of caring individuals who, along with parents 
or guardians, provide young people with support, advice, friendship, 
reinforcement and constructive examples. Mentoring can and does help 
young people succeed, no matter what their circumstances!
  A mentor is a caring adult friend who devotes time to a young person. 
Mentors can fill any number of different roles. Yet all mentors have 
one thing in common: they care about helping young people achieve their 
potential and discover their strengths.
  Mentors understand they are not meant to replace the role of a 
parent, guardian or teacher. A mentor is not a disciplinarian or 
decision maker for a child. Instead, a mentor echoes the positive 
values and cultural heritage parents and guardians are teaching. A 
mentor is part of a team of caring adults.
  A mentor's main purpose is to help a young person define and achieve 
their own goals. And those goals will vary, depending on the young 
person's age. Since the expectations of each child will vary, it is the 
mentor's job to encourage the development of a flexible relationship 
that responds to the mentor's skills and interests and the young 
person's needs.
  Recent Research Brief published by Child Trends and titled, 
``Mentoring: A Promising Strategy for Youth Development,'' found that 
youth who participate in mentoring relationships experience a number of 
positive benefits. In terms of educational achievement, mentored youth 
have better attendance; a better chance of going on to higher 
education; and better attitudes towards school. In terms of health and 
safety, mentoring appears to help prevent substance abuse and reduce 
some negative youth behaviors. On the social and emotional development 
front, taking part in mentoring promotes positive social attitudes and 
relationships. Mentored youth tend to trust their parents more and 
communicate better with them. They also feel they get more emotional 
support from their friends than do youth who are not mentored.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to reiterate my support for H. Res. 46. By 
sharing fun activities and exposing a youth to new experiences, a 
mentor encourages positive choices, promotes high self-esteem, supports 
academic achievement and introduces the child to new ideas.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Stearns). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 46.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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