Volunteers for Youth PAL+ Mentoring Program Celebrates National Mentoring Month with a Lunch & Learn

January is National Mentoring Month!  This year the PAL+ Mentoring Program is celebrating the annual campaign aimed at expanding quality mentoring opportunities to connect more of our community’s young people with caring adults by hosting the first Lunch & Learn of the year, Jan. 21, 2022. The monthly Lunch & Learn events give members of the community the opportunity to learn about the PAL+ Mentoring program. If you have ever considered becoming a mentor, this is a no-obligation way to hear all about our individual and group mentoring options. Current mentors are encouraged to bring a friend who has expressed an interest in mentoring as our existing mentors are often our best recruiters!  RSVPs are appreciated.

“We are excited to celebrate National Mentoring month with mentoring organizations around the country. We have expanded services greatly in the last year and are excited to serve even more youth in 2022,” said Roxanne Bilby, PAL+ Program Director.

Research shows that mentors play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to make responsible choices, attend and engage in school, and reduce or avoid risky behavior. In turn, these young people are:

55 percent more likely to be enrolled in college.

81 percent more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities.

78 percent more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities.

More than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team.

Yet, the same research shows that one in three young people in our country will grow up without a mentor.

National Mentoring Month is the time of year where interest from community members to become involved in mentoring is highest. This year, with the support of the mentoring community, we are encouraging the public to become involved in real life. Mentoring relationships are at their best when connections are made between a caring adult and a young person who knows that someone is there to help guide them through life choices.

In our community, people can support mentoring efforts by:

Monthly Lunch & Learn

One-to-One site based mentoring

Group Mentoring

Participating & Planning of events

National Mentoring Month is led by MENTOR, the national unifying champion of the mentoring movement.