Every young child should have a mentor or someone positive in their life that is there for them to help outside of their parents. This type of positive relationship in a young person’s life goes a very long way. Luckily, there are youth mentoring programs that give young children just this.
At DREAM, we offer youth mentoring programs to at-risk youth in the Omaha, Neb area. Our mission is to give at-risk youth a helping friend who is there for them no matter what. We have helped many youth in our community become driven, young professionals with the mission of succeeding in life, and are missioned to help many more. Below, we go over the benefits youth mentoring brings to young people.
Children and teens with mentors benefit in many ways. A youth with a mentor is less likely to:
- Use drugs or alcohol
- Develop problem behaviors
- Skip school
- Have symptoms of depression
- Be confident
- Go to college
- Participate in sports or extracurricular activities
- Communicate positively with their parents
- Become mentors or volunteers themselves
Academic benefits
Youth mentoring programs and tutoring programs are kind of similar in the fact that each one is for the betterment of the child, yet mentoring programs are much more complex and don’t just focus on school work. Mentoring programs don’t focus on learning curriculum, but on learning what to do and how to succeed in all aspects of life, especially in school.
Social benefits
On top of helping the youth focus on school and prepare for higher education, youth mentoring programs also help teach proper behavioral skills and traits that play a big part in day to day life.
Home benefits
Outside of school and social aspects, youth mentoring programs can also help youth better their behavior at home. Youth who participate in mentoring programs tend to have a stronger relationship with their parents than before.
How to become a mentor
There are many organizations in communities across the country who are constantly seeking individuals to become mentors. At DREAM, there are many ways in which you can get involved with our organization and make a difference in the lives of youth in our community. Below are some ways in which you can get involved:
Become a mentor
DREAM is always looking for new youth mentors to join our amazing team. If you want to provide young people with friendly advice about life, school, and self-worth, we would love for you to join our team! Fill out this form today!
Volunteer
On top of our youth mentoring program, we also offer after school programs, summer programs and many other events throughout the year. By volunteering, we can help even more throughout the Omaha community! Fill out this form if you are interested in becoming a DREAM volunteer.
Youth mentoring plays a huge role in youth development, especially for at-risk youth who may not get the same opportunities at home. Youth mentoring can help children achieve academic and life success!
Want to learn more about our youth mentoring and after school programs? Visit our website today!
