[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 175 (Friday, October 9, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E946-E947]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       REINTRODUCTION OF THE STUDENTS HELPING YOUNG STUDENTS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANDRE CARSON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 9, 2020

  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to reintroduce the 
Students Helping Young Students Act. This important legislation will 
invest in college students who support and mentor K-12 students at 
after-school activities. l am pleased that this legislation has been 
endorsed by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and I am 
grateful for the feedback I received from my constituents on this 
proposal. This legislation will make a meaningful difference in the 
lives of all Hoosier students, and young Americans across the country, 
by ensuring that college students can be compensated for the critical 
work of mentoring and supporting their younger counterparts.
  It is an honor to represent students of all ages in Indiana's Seventh 
District. I am continually impressed by the many college students in my 
district and across the country that, in addition to their studies, 
help mentor and support K-12 students in after-school programs. These 
college students, by serving as powerful examples and mentors, continue 
to inspire my colleagues and I about the importance of peer mentorship 
opportunities. This includes the crucial role of work study programs in 
helping students finance their postsecondary education.
  Several examples in Indiana underscore the importance of supporting 
mentorship programs, both to the mentee and the mentor. David, a 
biology major at Marian University in Indianapolis, also served as a 
mentor. Through David's mentoring, his mentee has improved in school 
and built up self-confidence; David, too, recognizes that he has 
learned from his mentee and is inspired to help additional younger 
students.
  Another student, Celia, at the University of Southern Indiana, 
mentored a young third grade student. Celia was mentored herself while 
also in the third grade; this experience helped her understand the 
importance of mentoring younger students to help achieve their goals 
and learn from their older peers. Mentoring younger students has helped 
Celia discover her passion for education and youth development 
programs. Celia also shared her college experiences with her mentee, 
who has in turn become interested in attending college.
  The examples of David and Celia represent how the influence and 
investment from a mentor can improve younger student lives and 
outcomes. Their stories are common: in fact, at-risk youth that have a 
mentor are 55 percent more likely to attend college. Moreover, at-risk 
youth that have a mentor are 52 percent less likely to skip a day of 
school and 46 percent less likely to use drugs. Mentoring also 
increases community engagement, as at-risk students are 78 percent more 
likely to volunteer in their community engagement, as at-risk students 
are 78 percent more likely to volunteer in their community and are 130 
percent more likely to hold a leadership role in clubs or teams with a 
mentor in their lives. Mentoring not only helps students stay away from 
drugs and violence, but also live healthier lives and improve school 
performance. Mentees participating in mentorship programs have also 
performed higher on the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational 
Progress (ISTEP) tests.
  Because of these unmistakable benefits, Congress must do more to 
support these after-school programs and their student mentors. Although 
after-school mentorship programs often intersect with students' courses 
of study and benefit the community, after-school

[[Page E947]]

activities are not currently considered a community service under the 
Federal Work-Study program. This means that college students cannot 
rely on compensation from Federal Work-Study for their participation in 
after-school activities.
  The Federal Work-Study program has helped support undergraduate and 
graduate students, who have exhibited financial need, find part-time 
jobs. In the 2017-2018 school year, the Federal Work-Study program 
employed about 600,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Across all 
higher education, 7 in 10 college students work at least 15 hours per 
week to help cover their tuition, and 1 in 4 work more than 35 hours a 
week. While mentorship's benefits are clear, the absence of after-
school activities from consideration as work-study programs causes 
students with financial need to more often pursue other opportunities. 
This means that many students are unable to serve in mentorship roles, 
even if it aligns with their course of study, for financial reasons. 
This dynamic exacerbates the widening mentoring gap, which includes the 
over 9 million young people without a mentor outside their family to 
support their growth and education.
  As a result, more work needs to be done to help compensate students 
who choose to serve their communities by mentoring younger students. 
That is why the Students Helping Young Students Act is so important. 
This bill incorporates work at after-school programs into the Federal 
Work-Study Program under community service by making participation in 
these programs eligible for federal funds. In short, this bill allows 
college students to access Federal Work-Study funds for their 
participation in after-school activities. Moreover, this legislation 
requires eligible schools to allocate federal funds to students who 
want to work with after-school programs.
  Through the Students Helping Young Students Act, after-school 
mentoring programs, like those Celia and David participated in, will 
count as community service under the Federal Work-Study program. 
Students can be compensated for their work, including time spent in 
training and travel, directly related to the program. This will allow 
any student who wishes to serve in their community to participate in 
mentorship activities, regardless of their financial background. As a 
result, the Students Helping Young Students Act will also help close 
the mentoring gap and ensure that younger students, especially those 
from disadvantaged backgrounds, have the support they need to succeed 
and reach their goals.
  Madam Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this 
bill to ensure that Federal Work-Study students are compensated for 
their mentorship efforts. The stories of Celia and David remind me of 
the undeniable power of young people to lift and inspire those around 
them. It is important that Congress supports these students in their 
pursuit to serve our communities. I urge the House to support this 
bill.

                          ____________________