The Mentoring

Impact
Opportunities to Mentor the Youth in Need

Davon A. Beckert COM 495-01

Contents
Why Mentor?..............................................................................................................................................2
The Mentoring Gap..................................................................................................................................2
The Impact...............................................................................................................................................2
Statistics......................................................................................................................................................3
Benefits of Mentoring..............................................................................................................................3
Opportunities to Mentor.............................................................................................................................4
St. Mark Youth Enrichment......................................................................................................................4
Mentor Dubuque.....................................................................................................................................4
Reach & Rise/Hillcrest Y Club...................................................................................................................4
About Recourses Unite............................................................................................................................4
Plan of action...............................................................................................................................................5
Project Time Line.........................................................................................................................................6
References...................................................................................................................................................7

The Mentoring Gap
There is a significant amount of young
people that grow up without a mentor
particularly for those that are at risk. A
mentor can be defined as a trusted
counselor or guide. But it can also just be a
role model by leading by example through
volunteering. “More than one in three
young people will grow up without a
mentor. That’s an estimated 16 million
people that have grown up without a
mentor.” (Mentor, 2018) The more risk
factors a young person has, the less likely
he or she is to have a naturally occurring
mentor. This is what is called the
opportunity gap. At risk youth are less
likely to have a mentor and more likely to
what one. (Mentor, 2018)
MENTOR?
“[Having] positive role models in the
community, particularly role models
WHY
The Impact
Joe, a once young inner-city child
in a single parent household who
felt like the odds were stacked
against him was introduced to his
mentor, Robin, at the age of
eight. From that moment on they
both say changes and it changed
Joe’s grades for the better. The
changes which caused a ripple
effect extended much further
than that. After 17 years both
men still retained their
relationship and Joe has become
a mentor for college students as
his career.
who were teachers, has helped me
to get to where I am today. I
wouldn’t be pursuing a teaching
career had I not had mentoring
experiences growing up.”
-Mentor, 2018
Benefits of Mentoring

For the Youth

Education:
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. In addition to better school attendance and a better
chance of going on to higher education, mentored youth maintain better attitudes towards school.
Daily Life:
A study showed that the strongest benefit from mentoring, and most consistent across risk groups,
was a reduction in depressive symptoms. Mentoring promotes positive social attitudes and
relationships. Mentored youth tend to trust their parents more and communicate better with them.
Career:
Mentors can help prepare their mentees for professional careers and assist with their workplace
skills. This can be done by helping to set career goals and taking steps to realize them. Helping to
develop skills for seeking a job, interviewing for a job, and keeping a job.
(Mentor, 2018)
For the Mentor
Improved sense of well-being.
Enhanced self-image
Improve communication and personal skills
Develop leadership skills
Gain a better understanding of other cultures and develop a greater appreciation for diversity.

mentoring.org
BENEFITS AND STATS
OPPORTUNITIES TO MENTOR

About Recourses Unite

Recourses Unite strengthens the of Dubuque community by creating
connections. We help connect people to volunteer opportunities and recourses
that lead to a happier and more engaged way of life.

-Recourses Unite

Reach & Rise/Hillcrest Y Club

Reach and Rise is a program that provides one on one mentoring for that
supports youth ages 9 to 17 who lack role models and are in communities
challenged by poverty, crime and single-parent household, among other social
issues. It is provided by the National YMCA.
The Hillcrest Y Club is an after-school program for grades 6-12 that focuses on the
development of the whole person through exercise, nutrition, career
development, substance abuse education, and community service work.

Mentor Dubuque
Mentor Dubuque matches volunteer mentors with mentees between
the ages of 5 and 14. The program is ran by Hilcrest who believes that
building a stronger Dubuque through stronger values in children. They
produce their matches with comprehensive programs such as
interviews, common interests and background checks.

St. Mark Youth Enrichment

St. Mark Youth Enrichment is a no-profit organization that provides
before and after school programming in four Title 1 elementary schools
in the Dubuque community. In the summer they provide a six-week
summer program called Our Heroes Academy. This program provides
children with the opportunity to increase their reading and math scores
but also learning in hands on experiences including field trips.
PLAN OF ACTION

I WOULD LIKE TO SET UP AN

INFORMATIONAL TABLE IN THE
HERITAGE TO PROMOTE THE
ORGANIZATIONS THAT I CHOOSE. I
WILL ALSO USE TWITTER TO HAVE AN
ONLINE PRESENCE.

JOB SHADOW OR PURSE AN

INTERNSHIP WITH HILLCREST
FAMILY SERVICES
PROJECT TIME LINE
10/07/18  Proposal Review
 Decide which organizations I would like to focus on to promote by contacting
10/12/18 resources unite
 Contact Tracy Less about reserving a table in the heritage
 Reach out to Mentor Dubuque to provide information about upcoming events
10/17/18 for people to and find a way to get involved
 Choose an organization to do some volunteer hours
10/22-26/18  Meet with organization to decide how and what events to promote it
10/27-28/18  Make a trifold board or brochures
10/29/18-  Set up a table in the heritage to promote organization(s) and encourage
11/02/18 volunteering and make students aware of their need
11/05/18-  Find interested volunteers and steer them to an appropriate organization and
11/16/18 possibly do it side by side
REFERENCES
“The Mentoring Effect.” MENTOR, 2018, www.mentoring.org/program-resources/mentor-resources-and-
publications/the-mentoring-effect/.

“Home.” ResourcesUnite!, 2018, www.resourcesunite.com/.