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The Case for Mentoring
By Susan K. Patrick
There is an old saying that still has a powerful message for us all today: "One hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in or the kind of car I drove, but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child."
There are 660,986 children between the ages of 5 and 18 in Connecticut. According to the most conservative estimates, 25% of these children are living in situations that put them at risk for personal and academic failure and longer term economic failure. These situations include poverty, school dropouts, drugs, suicide, crime, and family problems.
The statistics tell the story. Since 1997 there has been a 27% increase in the number of children living in poverty in Connecticut; 20% live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level. There has been a 60% increase in the number of Connecticut teens who drop out of school, the highest rate in a decade.
In some urban centers only 25% of students who begin high school graduate four years later; 42% of Connecticut's 10th graders have tried illegal drugs (22% used in the last 30 days); 20% of Connecticut's teens have considered suicide (10% say they have actually tried to kill themselves); 16% of all Connecticut arrests involve children under the age of 18; and 20%-25% of children are growing up in families with an alcoholic or drug-dependent parent.
The potential loss of 25% of children who may never connect with the state's economic promise has profound implications for Connecticut's business leaders, among others. No state, no matter how strong or affluent, can afford to write off its children.
These children do not just live in our cities; they are everywhere from affluent suburbs to rural corners of the state. They belong to every race and creed. They are the unwilling victims of a breakdown in traditional family and community support structures, overworked parents, and schools that close their doors when the final bell rings. Where children were once surrounded by an extended family, caring and involved neighbors, and strong moral leaders, they now spend an average of five hours a day absorbing values, life lessons and role models from the media.
Now, more than ever, children need a caring adult—a mentor—in their lives. Mentors create relationships of lasting influence. They play a wide range of roles: sounding board, life coach, career model, academic advisor. All of us can recall at least one individual from our childhood whose influence shaped our aspirations, our characters, our values, our life choices.
Mentoring is not just a feel-good strategy. It has proven results for both the children and the adults who care enough to make the commitment of just one hour a week. Young people who have a mentor are more likely to stay in school and go on to college, raise their life's aspirations, stay away from drugs, and avoid fights and other violent behavior.
Adults who mentor are more likely to increase their appreciation for diversity, feel more productive at work, develop core leadership skills such as communications, and feel good for having positively influenced another life.
In spite of these benefits, only 12,000 of the 140,000 Connecticut children who could benefit from a mentor have one. This is tragedy, not just for the children involved but also for the state's economic well-being and quality of life. Each young person who drops out of school for a life of drugs and crime costs the state $1.5-$2 million. A school-based mentoring program costs only $500 per child annually compared to a $20,000-$25,000 cost of one year in prison.
The time to act is now. President Bush, in his November address to Americans on the war on terrorism, called on every American to play his or her part by mentoring or tutoring a child. Americans are aching to make a difference in the aftermath of September 11. What better way than making a commitment to America's future by investing an hour a week in a child's future.
Susan K. Patrick is president of the Governor's Prevention Partnership, a nonprofit public-private alliance that promotes the health, safety, and well-being of Connecticut's future and current workforce. January 2002 is National Mentoring Month. For more info about mentoring programs call 800-422-5422, ext 55; or visit <www.preventionworksct.org>.
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