The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) joins MENTOR Washington in celebrating the 150 organizations that provide mentorship opportunities for children and youth across the state, as part of National Mentoring Month.
Through both formal and informal mentorship DCYF and MENTOR Washington connect children and youth ages 5 to 25 to mentors. More than half of these children and young people are involved with the juvenile justice system or experiencing foster or kinship care and identify as BIPOC.
Mentorships have countless benefits for both the mentor and mentee and can include support with academics, housing, youth employment, and life skills.
The impact of mentoring:
- Youth with a mentor are 92% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities
- Youth with a mentor are 22% more likely to have experienced a strong sense of belonging while growing up
- 74% of those who had a meaningful mentor say that person contributed significantly to their success later in life
- 58% of young people say their mentor has supported their mental health
- 22% of youth with a mentor are more likely to have experienced a strong sense of belonging while growing up
“When youth are connected with a mentor, they have another trusted adult who is walking them through things, they have someone who they know has their back — that’s really important,” said DCYF Youth Empowerment Program Manager Peggy Lewis.
MENTOR Washington offers support to mentoring programs throughout the state and matches young people with caring adults. MENTOR Washington and DCYF hope to see that every child in our state in need of a mentor has one. For more information and to learn how to become a mentor or find a mentor, contact Tom Pennella at tom.pennella@dcyf.wa.gov or visit www.mentorwashington.org.