A resolution recognizing January 2020 as "National Mentoring Month".

III 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 485 Recognizing January 2020 as ‘‘National Mentoring Month’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JANUARY 28, 2020 Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. BROWN, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. CORNYN, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. ERNST, Mr. HAWLEY, Mr. JONES, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. PERDUE, Mr. PETERS, Mr. REED, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. SANDERS, Ms. SMITH, Mr. SULLIVAN, Ms. WARREN, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, and Mr. BARRASSO) submitted the following resolution; which was re- ferred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions RESOLUTION Recognizing January 2020 as ‘‘National Mentoring Month’’. Whereas the goals of National Mentoring Month are to raise awareness of mentoring, recruit individuals to mentor, celebrate the powerful impact of caring adults who volun- teer time for the benefit of young people, and encourage organizations to engage and integrate quality in men- toring into the efforts of the organizations; Whereas there are young people across the United States who make everyday choices that lead to the big decisions in life without the guidance and support on which many other young people rely; VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:12 Jan 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR485.IS SR485 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 485 IS Whereas a mentor is a caring, consistent presence who de- votes time to a young person to help that young person discover personal strength and achieve the potential of that young person; Whereas quality mentoring encourages positive life and social skills, promotes self-esteem, bolsters academic achieve- ment and college access, supports career exploration, and nurtures youth leadership development; Whereas mentoring happens in various settings, including community-based programs, elementary and secondary schools, colleges, government agencies, religious institu- tions, and the workplace, and in various ways, including formal mentoring matches and informal relationships with teachers, coaches, neighbors, faith leaders, and oth- ers; Whereas mentoring programs have been shown to be effective in helping young people make positive choices; Whereas studies have shown that incorporating culture and heritage into mentoring programs can improve academic outcomes and increases community engagement, espe- cially for Alaskan Native and American Indian youth; Whereas young people who meet regularly with mentors are 46 percent less likely than peers to start using illegal drugs; Whereas research shows that young people who were at risk for not completing high school but who had a mentor were, as compared with similarly situated young people without a mentor— (1) 55 percent more likely to be enrolled in college; (2) 81 percent more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities; VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:12 Jan 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR485.IS SR485 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 485 IS (3) more than twice as likely to say they held a lead- ership position in a club or sports team; and (4) 78 percent more likely to pay it forward by vol- unteering regularly in the communities of young people; Whereas students who are chronically absent are more likely to fall behind academically, and mentoring can play a role in helping young people attend school regularly, as research shows that students who meet regularly with a mentor are, as compared with the peers of those stu- dents— (1) 52 percent less likely to skip a full day of school; and (2) 37 percent less likely to skip a class; Whereas youth development experts agree that mentoring en- courages positive youth development and smart daily be- haviors, such as finishing homework and having healthy social interactions, and has a positive impact on the growth and success of a young person; Whereas mentors help young people set career goals and use the personal contacts of the mentors to help young people meet industry professionals and train for and find jobs; Whereas each of the benefits of mentors described in this pre- amble serves to link youth to economic and social oppor- tunity while also strengthening communities in the United States; and Whereas, despite those described benefits, an estimated 9,000,000 young people in the United States feel isolated from meaningful connections with adults outside the home, constituting a ‘‘mentoring gap’’ that demonstrates a need for collaboration and resources: Now, therefore, be it VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:12 Jan 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR485.IS SR485 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 485 IS Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) recognizes January 2020 as ‘‘National Men- 2 toring Month’’; 3 (2) recognizes the caring adults who serve as 4 staff and volunteers at quality mentoring programs 5 and help the young people of the United States find 6 inner strength and reach their full potential; 7 (3) acknowledges that mentoring is beneficial 8 because mentoring supports educational achievement 9 and self-confidence, supports young people in setting 10 career goals and expanding social capital, reduces 11 juvenile delinquency, improves positive personal, pro- 12 fessional, and academic outcomes, and strengthens 13 communities; 14 (4) promotes the establishment and expansion 15 of quality mentoring programs across the United 16 States to equip young people with the tools needed 17 to lead healthy and productive lives; and 18 (5) supports initiatives to close the ‘‘mentoring 19 gap’’ that exists for the many young people in the 20 United States who do not have meaningful connec- 21 tions with adults outside the home. 22 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:12 Jan 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR485.IS SR485 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS