[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 199 (Wednesday, December 21, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





       REINTRODUCTION OF THE STUDENTS HELPING YOUNG STUDENTS ACT

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                           HON. ANDRE CARSON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 21, 2022

  Mr. CARSON. 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. 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 workstudy 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. The influence 
and investment from a mentor can improve younger 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 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 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 2018 school year, the Federal WorkStudy 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, for 
financial reasons, even if it aligns with their course of study. This 
challenge 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 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 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. It is important that Congress supports these 
students in their pursuit to serve our communities. I urge the House to 
support this bill.

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