Whittemore Library: Youth Mentoring: Mentoring

"Millions of Americans lend their time, talent, and energy to become mentors and make a difference in children's lives. During National Mentoring Month, we honor these caring individuals for their dedication to changing our country one heart and soul at a time."

- George W. Bush, Dec. 19, 2007

"Systemic and growing inequity manifests as gaps in opportunity, networks, and access to adult relationships outside of families. Mentoring unites us. It is a key response to these issues. At a time when research shows that loneliness and isolation are trending upwards, we know that relationships are powerful tools. They bring us together, navigate us to greater connection and opportunity."

- from MENTOR's National Mentoring Month page

"STEM Mentoring Cafe" by SandiaLabs is licensed underCC BY-NC-ND 2.0

"The key in mentoring is authenticity. It's not learning a bunch of skills. It's actually showing up in the moment. That's what writing is about. That's what music is about. Mentoring, like in ritual, authenticity is the key. It's the key. The only way to keep everybody straight."

- Michael Meade

External Links

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
The nation’s largest donor- and volunteer-supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 5 through young adulthood in communities across the country. They develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people.
MENTOR
Organization which promotes quality mentoring relationships for America’s young people while working to close the mentoring gap for the one in three young people growing up without this critical support.
Mentoring
Information about youth mentoring from Youth.gov.
Who Mentored You
Page promoting mentoring, from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Youth Mentoring
Mentoring information from the Boys and Girls Club of America.
Youth Mentoring Action Network
A 501 (c)3 dedicated to leveraging the power of mentoring relationships to create a more equitable and just world for young people.