We are passionate about ‘Designing the Next Generation’ at the Over My Shoulder Foundation and feel that you can never start mentoring too young. In fact, in our recent post about interesting pairs of famous mentors, many of the successful celebrities mentioned attribute many of their accomplishments to an influential figure that was present early in life.
Outlined below are some of the key benefits of mentoring for students and young people:
- Students that are mentored are more likely to graduate from high school.
- Schools that are involved in some type of mentorship program generally have lower dropout rates.
- Students that have a mentor in their lives typically have a better attitude about school, which leads to higher college enrollment rates.
- Young people with an active mentor will usually have healthier relationships with parents, teachers, and peers and stronger interpersonal skills.
- Youth that are involved in a strong mentoring program make better lifestyle choices are less likely to engage in drug and alcohol use.
- Students with a mentor are likely to have improved school attendance with fewer unexcused absences.
- Young students involved in a mentoring program are less likely to participate in violent behavior. According to a study completed by the Big Brother Big Sisters program, youth with a mentor are 32 percent less likely to hit another person.
To learn more about the benefits of mentoring for students, please contact us at the Over My Shoulder Foundation.