Source: Good News Network
When Rodney was seventeen, he checked out of foster care and into a homeless shelter. Every morning he would quickly take a sponge bath in the school bathroom before attending his first class. No one knew of his circumstances and it’s no wonder Rodney had a hard time maintaining even a 1.
3 grade point average.But at the start of his senior year, something changed for Rodney, and it set him on a new trajectory: he met a mentor.
For students like Rodney, there is a disconnect between the preparation students receive and the skills they need to succeed. This is particularly true in low-income communities, where a deficit of successful and fulfilled role-models often exists.
What is the solution? You.
In America, we are abundantly rich in adults with know-how and that know-how is often underutilized. Sure, we have all been in roles where we pass some advice to a younger protégé at work. But what if you could also pass on skills, hope, and knowledge to our next generation? What if you could literally change someone’s life, just as Rodney’s was changed?
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More than most of us realize, we can completely redirect our next generation. By connecting mentors – educated adults with expertise and knowledge to share – with mentees – teens and young adults who lack motivation, experience, or successful role models in their lives – we can make huge strides to close the skills gap.
Additionally, this recent study from the University of Kansas shows that youngsters who are paired with non-familial mentors experience reduced rates of delinquency and dangerous behavior. Past research has also shown positive correlations between mentoring relationships and increased levels of social capital, like self-esteem, education, and employment achievements for adolescents, as well as lower rates of some types of problematic tendencies.
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Consider what could happen if you told your story to a young person who might never have met a successful adult in your area of expertise. Think about what it would be like if your presence and input helped spur your pupil to innovate or take…
The post A Simple Way to Make a Big Difference in the World – Here’s How and Why You Should Be a Mentor appeared first on FeedBox.