Due to spending caps agreed to last summer in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, FY24 presented a challenging federal appropriations environment. As such, many programs were level-funded or cut, including the Youth Mentoring Grant (the only mentoring-specific line item in the federal budget), which will be funded at $104 million, a cut of $3 million. Nonetheless, the mentoring movement still secured additional direct investment: 10 community funding projects (or earmarks), submitted by bipartisan Members of Congress, were included in the final appropriations bill, totaling $3,413,000 in direct inv ..read more

In our report Who Mentored You? there were findings that surprised, delighted, and inspired us. From illuminating the differences in mentoring across the generations to highlighting the challenges of the Gen Z generation in finding the mentoring support they need; this study serves as a lens through which to frame our movement as we move forward in our mission. Based on what we discovered, we’ve identified four key strategies that will continue to strengthen our movement and continue to provide today’s youth with vital mentorship opportunities. And while none of these will be easy or quick so ..read more

In our recent study, Who Mentored You?, we wanted to develop a holistic understanding of mentorship throughout the last 50+ years – how different generations and demographics gain access to mentorship, where gaps exist and the reasoning behind them, and the tangible benefits people experience when they connect with meaningful mentors. Answering this last question has its nuances. Most mentorship programs or relationships often emphasize short term outcomes that are easy to see in the immediate wake of program participation. For school-based programs, the emphasis is often on improved attendan ..read more

As young people grow up, their circumstances and needs morph as they face new challenges, foster dreams, and better understand themselves and the path they want to take as they enter adulthood. The type and volume of support young people need from their mentors can also change. The reality is that even if an individual had a mentor in middle school, that relationship may not be as helpful in high school when new challenges and situations emerge. Even the best mentors have their limitations and just because someone had a mentor at one point while growing up, it does not mean they received all t ..read more

Determining the Destination  For Woonsocket Public Schools, the realization that it was time to start a journey toward relationship-centered schools came in 2021. The local results of Surveyworks, the Rhode Island Department of Education’s wide-ranging annual survey of students’ thoughts and experiences in school, left little doubt. Woonsocket students were not feeling strong connections to teachers and staff. 46% of students in grades 3-5 and 81% of students in grades 6-12 felt “somewhat,” “slightly,” or “not at all connected” to the adults at their school.  The school district form ..read more

In 2014, research by MENTOR found that one in three young people in America had grown up without a mentor.  Nearly a decade later, we expected our latest report, Who Mentored You?, would show an increase in mentor support for today’s youth.   Unfortunately, that turned out not to be the case.   Compared to the Millennial generation that had participated in prior studies, today’s 18–21-year-olds are 9 percentage points less likely to have had any mentor growing up. While program mentoring experiences have not declined in that time, they haven’t grown either. Most troub ..read more

BOSTON – MENTOR, the unifying champion for the youth mentoring movement, has released the 2024 National Corporate Mentoring Honor Roll. This list recognizes American corporations offering substantial mentoring opportunities to spur young people’s holistic growth. Launched in partnership with First Lady Michelle Obama in 2011, the Honor Roll first challenged companies to support their employees in becoming volunteer youth mentors. In the years since, corporate engagement in youth mentoring has grown to reflect a range of innovations and strategies. These developments construct a dynamic 21st-ce ..read more

In December, MENTOR welcomed its newest member to the Board of Directors, Dan Gaynor, founder of Kelp Data. Dan is joining a dynamic group of leaders focused on guiding and supporting our mission, vision, and values.   MENTOR Board Chair Ernesto Anguilla said of Dan’s addition, “We are thrilled to welcome Dan to MENTOR’s board. He brings extensive experience in business, AI and technology, communications, and government. He’s enormously committed to public service and has a passion and dedication to our work. He is already having an impact on MENTOR’s work and will continue to do so ..read more

We are disappointed by Congress’ recent decision to cut $3 Million in federal funding from the Youth Mentoring Program grant in FY24. The Youth Mentoring Program grant funds some of the most effective mentoring programs across the country, serving youth through evidence-backed models of prevention and intervention in various settings. Over the years, this investment has served millions of young people and recruited hundreds of thousands of new mentors. It also funds the National Mentoring Resource Center (NMRC), an online research and practice hub for mentoring programs focused on quality impr ..read more

As the youth mentoring field continues to expand, there is an increased need for research into who in our society experiences mentoring relationships and the impact these relationships have on their lives. This research can help our field understand who is most in need of mentoring in the current moment and build our understanding of how mentoring has shaped the lives of previous generations.       For the past decade MENTOR has been at the forefront of this research, with our 2014 report, ‘The Mentoring Effect’, illuminating both the societal impacts of mentorsh ..read more