Mentoring Impact, Helping To Unlock Potential
Why become a mentor?
The purpose of mentoring, at its core, guarantees that young people always have someone around who not only cares about them, but is present to assure them they are not alone in dealing with day-to-day challenges.
Research confirms that mentors can have a powerful impact on young people in a variety of personal, academic, and professional situations, and contribute to overall feelings of belonging. Ultimately, mentoring helps connect a young person to personal growth and development, and social and economic opportunity. Yet…
More than 1 in 3 young people grow up without a mentor.
This is concerning, especially since:
Youth With a Mentor Are:
92%
more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities.
75%
more likely to have held a leadership position in a club or sports team.
22%
more likely to have experienced a strong sense of belonging while growing up.
And adults who were mentored as youth report long-lasting impact…
74%
of those who had a meaningful mentor say that person contributed significantly to their success later in life.
69%
of young adults say that this key relationship has helped them with issues related to their education.
58%
say their mentor has supported their mental health.
The mentor-mentee relationship has a positive impact on everyone involved. For those who are being mentored, it is linked to improved academic, social and economic prospects. For those who mentor, the relationship can build leadership and management skills, expand professional networks, and provide an empowering opportunity to give back to the community.
How Do Mentors Help Youth? Unpacking the Impact of Mentoring on All Aspects of Life
Mentoring benefits include significant positive effects on two early warning indicators that a student may be falling off-track:
High levels of absenteeism (Kennelly & Monrad, 2007)
- Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip a class. (Public/Private Ventures Study of Big Brothers Big Sisters)
Recurring behavior problems (Thurlow, Sinclair & Johnson, 2002)
- Young adults who face an opportunity gap but have a mentor are 55% more likely to be enrolled in college than those who did not have a mentor. (The Mentoring Effect, 2014)
- In addition to better school attendance and a better chance of going on to higher education, mentored youth maintain better attitudes toward school. (The Role of Risk, 2013)
One study estimates that the human potential lost as a result of the educational achievement gap is the economic equivalent of a permanent national recession. 
By preparing young people for college and careers and bolstering career development, mentoring helps develop the future workplace talent pipeline. (Mentoring: At the crossroads of education, business and community, 2015)
Mentors can also prepare their mentees for professional careers and assist with their workplace skills by:
- Helping set career goals and taking the steps to realize them.
- Using personal contacts to help young people network with industry professionals, find internships, locate possible jobs, and build their own social capital.
- Introducing young people to resources and organizations they may not be familiar with.
- Effectively working with them to enhance the skills required for seeking, interviewing for, and keeping a job.
Numbers are impressive, but humans tell stories. Take a look at some mentoring success stories to see the importance of mentoring in real life.
By being a consistent adult presence in a young person’s life, mentors can offer advice, share their life experiences, and help a young person navigate challenges.
Youth who meet regularly with their mentors are:
- 46% less likely than their peers to start using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking. (Public/Private Ventures study of Big Brothers Big Sisters)
Young adults who face an opportunity gap but have a mentor are:
- 81% more likely to participate regularly in sports or extracurricular activities than those who do not. (The Mentoring Effect, 2014)
A study showed that the strongest benefit from mentoring, and most consistent across risk groups, was a reduction in depressive symptoms — particularly noteworthy given that almost one in four youth reported worrisome levels of these symptoms at baseline. (The Role of Risk, 2013)
Mentoring also promotes positive social attitudes and relationships. Mentored youth tend to trust their parents more and communicate better with them. (The Role of Risk, 2013)
Mentoring benefits include significant positive effects on two early warning indicators that a student may be falling off-track:
High levels of absenteeism (Kennelly & Monrad, 2007)
- Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip a class. (Public/Private Ventures Study of Big Brothers Big Sisters)
Recurring behavior problems (Thurlow, Sinclair & Johnson, 2002)
- Young adults who face an opportunity gap but have a mentor are 55% more likely to be enrolled in college than those who did not have a mentor. (The Mentoring Effect, 2014)
- In addition to better school attendance and a better chance of going on to higher education, mentored youth maintain better attitudes toward school. (The Role of Risk, 2013)
One study estimates that the human potential lost as a result of the educational achievement gap is the economic equivalent of a permanent national recession.
By preparing young people for college and careers and bolstering career development, mentoring helps develop the future workplace talent pipeline. (Mentoring: At the crossroads of education, business and community, 2015)
Mentors can also prepare their mentees for professional careers and assist with their workplace skills by:
- Helping set career goals and taking the steps to realize them.
- Using personal contacts to help young people network with industry professionals, find internships, locate possible jobs, and build their own social capital.
- Introducing young people to resources and organizations they may not be familiar with.
- Effectively working with them to enhance the skills required for seeking, interviewing for, and keeping a job.
Numbers are impressive, but humans tell stories. Take a look at some mentoring success stories to see the importance of mentoring in real life.
By being a consistent adult presence in a young person’s life, mentors can offer advice, share their life experiences, and help a young person navigate challenges.
Youth who meet regularly with their mentors are:
- 46% less likely than their peers to start using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking. (Public/Private Ventures study of Big Brothers Big Sisters)
Young adults who face an opportunity gap but have a mentor are:
- 81% more likely to participate regularly in sports or extracurricular activities than those who do not. (The Mentoring Effect, 2014)
A study showed that the strongest benefit from mentoring, and most consistent across risk groups, was a reduction in depressive symptoms — particularly noteworthy given that almost one in four youth reported worrisome levels of these symptoms at baseline. (The Role of Risk, 2013)
Mentoring also promotes positive social attitudes and relationships. Mentored youth tend to trust their parents more and communicate better with them. (The Role of Risk, 2013)
The Who Mentored You? study found that 1.8 million young people have grown up with virtually no adult support.
- Today’s 18-to-21-year-olds express unmet mentoring needs around depression, anxiety, and suicidality at four times the rate of Baby Boomers, and more than double the rates for Millennials.
- They are even 47% more likely than their slightly older 22-to-24-year-old peers to cite mental health challenges.
- 67% of today’s 18-to-21-year-olds can remember a time where they needed a mentor but didn’t have one.
- Youth who identify as BIPOC and those from lower income levels express significantly higher rates of unmet mentoring needs.
- 54% of young people who wished they had a mentor at a key time were dealing with a serious issue or major challenge (including family issues, mental health challenges, substance abuse, or physical or sexual abuse).
To help combat this, MENTOR and it’s Affiliates and partners work tirelessly to expand the mentoring movement by improving the quantity and quality of mentoring relationships available to young people. For more on our work, explore our Impact Report for an overview of the work we do everyday.
The Who Mentored You? study found that 1.8 million young people have grown up with virtually no adult support.
- Today’s 18-to-21-year-olds express unmet mentoring needs around depression, anxiety, and suicidality at four times the rate of Baby Boomers, and more than double the rates for Millennials.
- They are even 47% more likely than their slightly older 22-to-24-year-old peers to cite mental health challenges.
- 67% of today’s 18-to-21-year-olds can remember a time where they needed a mentor but didn’t have one.
- Youth who identify as BIPOC and those from lower income levels express significantly higher rates of unmet mentoring needs.
- 54% of young people who wished they had a mentor at a key time were dealing with a serious issue or major challenge (including family issues, mental health challenges, substance abuse, or physical or sexual abuse).
To help combat this, MENTOR and it’s Affiliates and partners work tirelessly to expand the mentoring movement by improving the quantity and quality of mentoring relationships available to young people. For more on our work, explore our Impact Report for an overview of the work we do everyday.