National Mentoring Month
Floor Speech
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I am pleased today to join many of my colleagues in supporting a resolution designating January 2010 as ``National Mentoring Month.''
We all agree that young people need a supportive environment based on structured and trusting relationships with adults. The world is more complicated for children today than it ever was when I was growing up. Mentors can help young people through the difficult periods, help them see the difference between right and wrong, alleviate their doubts and concerns, and answer their questions frankly. Mentors can dramatically impact a young person's life by providing the support and encouragement that children need in order to grow into responsible, caring adults.
This resolution recognizes the value of volunteering time to make a difference in the life of a child. A growing body of research has shown that high-quality programs can make all the difference and help students in need achieve the type of future they might never have thought possible. Children with mentors are shown to improve in school performance and attendance. Also, they are more self-confident, have good social skills, and above all else, they are motivated to reach their full potential. Unfortunately, a severe shortage of volunteers has left over 15 million young people without mentors.
National Mentoring Month highlights the needs and goals of mentoring in this country and honors the contributions of the many volunteers across the country that are currently connecting with youth in such programs. Next month, nonprofit organizations, schools, businesses, faith communities, and government agencies--led by the National Mentoring Partnership and the Harvard School of Public Health--will join together to encourage adults to serve as mentors for our young people. Programs must be expanded to recruit more volunteers to help fill the mentoring gap. Mentoring has successfully helped many children in this country and we must work together to expand such valuable programs. I urge the Senate to approve this resolution.
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