Success is rarely by accident; each successful person can normally attribute their achievements to a leader who had a significant impact on their career and life. This January marks the 13th anniversary of National Mentoring Month, and it is appropriately themed “Mentoring Works!”
National Mentoring Month was established in January 2002 by the Harvard mentoring project, MENTOR, and the Corporation for National Community Service. January was first endorsed as NMM by President George W. Bush and later by both chambers of the U.S. Congress. This month-long campaign promotes youth mentoring in the U.S., and leading nonprofit organizations, big businesses and numerous governors and mayors take part.
The message for NMM 2014 is clear. Quality mentoring programs are a proven investment leading to positive outcomes for our young people. These programs build self-esteem and confidence; they instill positive behavior and help our youth to reach their maximum potential. Additionally, we need to go out and be someone who matters to someone who matters. Pay it forward; just one hour per week has a profound impact on the mentor and the mentee. Mentoring allows us to step out of our comfort zone and can help in understanding different cultures and generations within our community. Lastly, mentoring strengthens and unites communities. The investment made on developing our young people will show exponential returns on our youth and our community’s future successes.
Studies by MENTOR show there are 15 million young people who need a caring adult as a mentor in their lives. Retired Gen. Colin L. Powell is a spokesman for the NMM campaign and recently made a public service announcement stating, “As a nation, we need to invest in our young people, let them know they are full of potential and help them to succeed … and mentoring can do that. Mentors can help young people build confidence and give them hope for the future. You can help by volunteering as a mentor to a young person in your community.”
It’s simple really; a mentor can do small things to have huge impacts on a young person. You can help them plan a project for school or set career goals so they can start taking steps to realize them. You can guide them through making healthy choices about day-to-day life, from food to exercise and beyond. You can aid them in thinking through a problem at home or at school, providing decision-making tools.
I’ve found some great places to start the journey to becoming a mentor to our youth. I encourage you to look into the needs of your community and the youth in your area. We as Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines have invaluable leadership to share. Our collective strength through multitudes of adversity could benefit many of the 15 million youth who need mentors. Please use your strengths to benefit your communities and the next generation of leaders.
If you think you’d make a good mentor or are interested in finding out how you can support youth mentoring, you can start by going to the following sites:
www.serve.gov
www.mentoring.org
www.hsph.harvard.edu/chc/wmy/
Contribute to the achievement of our nation’s youth and be a leader who makes a significant impact on their career and life because, “Mentoring Works!”
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Success is rarely by accident; each successful person can normally attribute their achievements to a leader who had a significant impact on their career and life. This January marks the 13th anniversary of National Mentoring Month, and it is appropriately themed “Mentoring Works!”
National Mentoring Month was established in January 2002 by the Harvard mentoring project, MENTOR, and the Corporation for National Community Service. January was first endorsed as NMM by President George W. Bush and later by both chambers of the U.S. Congress. This month-long campaign promotes youth mentoring in the U.S., and leading nonprofit organizations, big businesses and numerous governors and mayors take part.
The message for NMM 2014 is clear. Quality mentoring programs are a proven investment leading to positive outcomes for our young people. These programs build self-esteem and confidence; they instill positive behavior and help our youth to reach their maximum potential. Additionally, we need to go out and be someone who matters to someone who matters. Pay it forward; just one hour per week has a profound impact on the mentor and the mentee. Mentoring allows us to step out of our comfort zone and can help in understanding different cultures and generations within our community. Lastly, mentoring strengthens and unites communities. The investment made on developing our young people will show exponential returns on our youth and our community’s future successes.
Studies by MENTOR show there are 15 million young people who need a caring adult as a mentor in their lives. Retired Gen. Colin L. Powell is a spokesman for the NMM campaign and recently made a public service announcement stating, “As a nation, we need to invest in our young people, let them know they are full of potential and help them to succeed … and mentoring can do that. Mentors can help young people build confidence and give them hope for the future. You can help by volunteering as a mentor to a young person in your community.”
It’s simple really; a mentor can do small things to have huge impacts on a young person. You can help them plan a project for school or set career goals so they can start taking steps to realize them. You can guide them through making healthy choices about day-to-day life, from food to exercise and beyond. You can aid them in thinking through a problem at home or at school, providing decision-making tools.
I’ve found some great places to start the journey to becoming a mentor to our youth. I encourage you to look into the needs of your community and the youth in your area. We as Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines have invaluable leadership to share. Our collective strength through multitudes of adversity could benefit many of the 15 million youth who need mentors. Please use your strengths to benefit your communities and the next generation of leaders.
If you think you’d make a good mentor or are interested in finding out how you can support youth mentoring, you can start by going to the following sites:
www.serve.gov
www.mentoring.org
www.hsph.harvard.edu/chc/wmy/
Contribute to the achievement of our nation’s youth and be a leader who makes a significant impact on their career and life because, “Mentoring Works!”