[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 17 (Thursday, February 2, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 367--DESIGNATING JANUARY 2012 AS ``NATIONAL MENTORING 
                                MONTH''

  Ms. LANDRIEU (for herself, Mr. McCain, and Mr. Kerry) submitted the 
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 367

       Whereas mentoring is a longstanding tradition in which a 
     dependable, caring adult provides guidance, support, and 
     encouragement to facilitate the social, emotional, and 
     cognitive development of a young person;
       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;
       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 the 
     people who serve as mentors;
       Whereas more than 5,000 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 formal mentoring relationships due to the 
     remarkable vigor, creativity, and resourcefulness of the 
     thousands of mentoring programs in communities throughout the 
     United States;
       Whereas, in spite of the progress made in increasing 
     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 2012 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, most significantly, National Mentoring Month--
       (1) will build awareness of mentoring; and
       (2) will 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 2012 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
       (3) encourages more adults and students to volunteer as 
     mentors.

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