[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 197 (Monday, December 21, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13705-S13706]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I am pleased today to join many of my 
colleagues in supporting a resolution designating January 2010 as 
``National Mentoring Month.''
  We all agree that young people need a supportive environment based on 
structured and trusting relationships with adults. The world is more 
complicated for children today than it ever was when I was growing up. 
Mentors can help young people through the difficult periods, help them 
see the difference between right and wrong, alleviate their doubts and 
concerns, and answer their questions frankly. Mentors can dramatically 
impact a young person's life by providing the support and encouragement 
that children need in order to grow into responsible, caring adults.
  This resolution recognizes the value of volunteering time to make a 
difference in the life of a child. A growing body of research has shown 
that high-quality programs can make all the difference and help 
students in need achieve the type of future they might never have 
thought possible. Children with mentors are shown to improve in school 
performance and attendance. Also, they are more self-confident, have 
good social skills, and above all else, they are motivated to reach 
their full potential. Unfortunately, a severe shortage of volunteers 
has left over 15 million young people without mentors.
  National Mentoring Month highlights the needs and goals of mentoring 
in this country and honors the contributions of the many volunteers 
across the country that are currently connecting with youth in such 
programs. Next month, nonprofit organizations, schools, businesses, 
faith communities, and government agencies--led by the National 
Mentoring Partnership and the Harvard School of Public Health--will 
join together to encourage adults to serve as mentors for our young 
people. Programs must be expanded to recruit more volunteers to help 
fill the mentoring gap. Mentoring has successfully helped many children 
in this country and we must work together to expand such valuable 
programs. I urge the Senate to approve this resolution.
  Mr. DURBIN. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, 
the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the 
table with no intervening action or debate, and any statements related 
to the resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 383) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 383

       Whereas mentoring is a longstanding tradition in which a 
     dependable, caring adult provides guidance, support, and 
     encouragement to facilitate a young person's social, 
     emotional, and cognitive development;
       Whereas continued research on mentoring shows that formal, 
     high-quality mentoring focused on developing the competence 
     and character of the mentee promotes positive outcomes, such 
     as improved academic achievement, self-esteem, social skills, 
     and career development;

[[Page S13706]]

       Whereas further research on mentoring provides strong 
     evidence that mentoring successfully reduces substance use 
     and abuse, academic failure, and delinquency;
       Whereas mentoring, in addition to preparing young people 
     for school, work, and life, is extremely rewarding for those 
     serving as mentors;
       Whereas more than 4,700 mentoring programs in communities 
     of all sizes across the United States focus on building 
     strong, effective relationships between mentors and mentees;
       Whereas approximately 3,000,000 young people in the United 
     States are in solid mentoring relationships due to the 
     remarkable vigor, creativity, and resourcefulness of the 
     thousands of mentoring programs in communities throughout the 
     Nation;
       Whereas in spite of the progress made to increase 
     mentoring, the United States has a serious ``mentoring gap'', 
     with nearly 15,000,000 young people in need of mentors;
       Whereas mentoring partnerships between the public and 
     private sectors bring State and local leaders together to 
     support mentoring programs by preventing duplication of 
     efforts, offering training in industry best practices, and 
     making the most of limited resources to benefit young people 
     in the United States;
       Whereas the designation of January 2010 as ``National 
     Mentoring Month'' will help call attention to the critical 
     role mentors play in helping young people realize their 
     potential;
       Whereas a 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 
     across the United States; and
       Whereas National Mentoring Month will, most significantly, 
     build awareness of mentoring and encourage more people to 
     become mentors and help close the mentoring gap in the United 
     States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the month of January 2010 as ``National 
     Mentoring Month'';
       (2) recognizes with gratitude the contributions of the 
     millions of caring adults and students who are already 
     volunteering as mentors and encourages more adults and 
     students to volunteer as mentors; and
       (3) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
     National Mentoring Month with appropriate ceremonies and 
     activities that promote awareness of, and volunteer 
     involvement with, youth mentoring.

                          ____________________