As the saying goes, “the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow”. It’s certainly true that our youth will one day become our future. And that makes us, parents, teachers, family and friends responsible for shaping our youth to become successful.
This is where youth mentoring comes into play. Youth mentoring programs help young children, especially at-risk youth, learn and practice new skills that will help them grow and develop into successful young men and women. Every person is different, which means mentoring affects everyone differently. Mentors offer youth many benefits that help prepare them for their future life and make them feel confident and strong.
At DREAM, we offer youth mentoring programs that are designed to give at risk youth in Omaha, Neb someone they can learn from. We’ve seen how beneficial our mentoring programs have been and their effect on our students. In this blog, we discuss why youth mentoring is important and beneficial!
Academic success
Research has shown that mentoring programs have a direct impact on academic success. In mentoring programs, mentors talk with students about their experience in school, and come up with ways and tips in which they can use to become better!
According to research, students who are in mentoring programs are:
- 59% more likely to earn better grades
- 52% less likely to skip school
- 81% more likely to participate in extracurricular activities
Social support
Another reason why mentoring programs are so great for young people is that it gives them a friend that they can trust. In turn, young kids are able to practice and improve their social skills in a friendly and relaxing setting. At DREAM, our youth mentoring programs focus on improving interpersonal skills. According to MENTOR, children in youth mentoring programs are 130 percent more likely to hold a leadership position at some point in their life!
Mentoring youth at a young age will help them not only understand and learn skills needed in life, but help them understand themselves better as well, who they want to be, and increase confidence. This will also help them improve their relationships with their family and peers, and understand the importance of respecting authority.
Behavioral benefits
Lastly, children that enroll in mentoring programs are more likely to behave better. In mentoring programs, mentors teach children about the dangers of using drugs and alcohol, and in turn their chances of using both are reduced. Mentoring programs also teach children that violence is not the answer. This has been seen to help children’s relationships at home and at school!
Overall, mentoring programs benefit children in a number of ways. From increasing self-confidence to improving grades and ultimately giving our children a friend that they can trust, youth mentoring programs are making a lasting impact in many lives.
At DREAM, our youth mentoring programs are designed to help at risk youth grow, develop new skills and ultimately guide them in the right direction. If you are interested in signing your child up for our mentoring program, or would like to become a mentor yourself, please visit our website for more information!
