[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 13 (Thursday, January 20, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S384-S385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 498--RECOGNIZING JANUARY 2022 AS ``NATIONAL MENTORING 
                                MONTH''

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself, Mr. Blunt, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Kennedy, 
Mrs. Capito, Mr. Booker, Mr. Peters, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. 
Boozman, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Reed, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Wyden, Mr. 
Braun, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Sullivan) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions:

[[Page S385]]

  


                              S. Res. 498

       Whereas the goals of National Mentoring Month are to raise 
     awareness of and celebrate the powerful impact of mentoring 
     relationships, recruit new mentors, and encourage 
     institutions to integrate quality mentoring into their 
     policies, practices, and programs;
       Whereas quality mentoring fosters positive life and social 
     skills, promotes self-esteem, bolsters academic achievement 
     and college access, supports career exploration, and nurtures 
     youth leadership development;
       Whereas mentoring happens in many settings, including 
     community-based programs, elementary and secondary schools, 
     institutions of higher education, government agencies, 
     religious institutions, and the workplace, and in various 
     ways, including formal mentoring matches and informal 
     relationships with teachers, coaches, neighbors, faith 
     leaders, and others;
       Whereas effective mentoring of underserved and vulnerable 
     populations helps individuals confront challenges and enjoy 
     improved mental health and social-emotional well-being;
       Whereas studies have shown that incorporating culture and 
     heritage into mentoring programs can improve academic 
     outcomes and increase community engagement, especially for 
     Alaska Native and American Indian youth;
       Whereas youth development experts agree that mentoring 
     encourages positive youth development and smart daily 
     behaviors, such as finishing homework and having healthy 
     social interactions, and has a positive impact on the growth 
     and success of a young person;
       Whereas mentors help young people set career goals and can 
     help connect mentees to industry professionals to train for 
     and find jobs;
       Whereas mentoring programs generally have a significant, 
     positive impact on youth academic achievement, school 
     connectedness and engagement, and educational success, which 
     leads to outcomes such as improved attendance, grades and 
     test scores, and classroom behavior;
       Whereas research has found that young people facing a risk 
     of not completing high school but who had a mentor were, 
     compared with their peers, more likely to enroll in college, 
     to participate regularly in sports or extracurricular 
     activities, to hold a leadership position in a club or sports 
     team, and to volunteer regularly, and less likely to start 
     using drugs;
       Whereas mentoring has long been a staple of juvenile 
     justice and violence prevention efforts, and can offer 
     comprehensive support to youth at risk for committing 
     violence or victimization, as mentoring can address many risk 
     factors at once;
       Whereas mentoring relationships for youth facing risk, such 
     as foster youth, can have a positive impact on a wide range 
     of factors, including mental health, educational functioning 
     and attainment, peer relationships, employment, and housing 
     stability;
       Whereas mentoring programs have been found to positively 
     impact many aspects of mental well-being, including reducing 
     unhealthy coping mechanisms, improving interpersonal 
     relationships, and reducing parental stress;
       Whereas mentoring is an innovative, evidence-based practice 
     and, uniquely, is both a prevention and intervention strategy 
     that can support young people of all demographics and 
     backgrounds in all aspects of their lives;
       Whereas each of the benefits of mentors described in this 
     preamble serves to link youth to economic and social 
     opportunity while also strengthening communities in the 
     United States;
       Whereas despite the benefits of mentoring, one young person 
     of every three is growing up without a mentor, which means a 
     third of the young people of the United States are growing up 
     without someone outside of the home to offer real life 
     guidance and support; and
       Whereas this ``mentoring gap'' demonstrates the need for 
     collaboration among the private, public, and nonprofit 
     sectors to increase resources for relationship-centric 
     supports for youth in communities, schools, and workplaces: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes ``National Mentoring Month'';
       (2) recognizes the caring adults who serve as staff and 
     volunteers at quality mentoring programs and help the young 
     people of the United States find inner strength and reach 
     their full potential;
       (3) acknowledges that mentoring supports educational 
     achievement, engagement, and self-confidence, supports young 
     people in setting career goals and expanding social capital, 
     reduces juvenile delinquency, and strengthens communities;
       (4) promotes the establishment and expansion of quality 
     mentoring programs across the United States to equip young 
     people with the tools needed to lead healthy and productive 
     lives; and
       (5) supports initiatives to close the ``mentoring gap'' 
     that exists for the many young people in the United States 
     who do not have meaningful connections with adults outside 
     the home.

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