HOUSTON (KIAH) — January is National Mentoring Month. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston, the region’s leading youth development organization, recognizes National Mentoring Month throughout January and encourages community members to step up and volunteer to make a difference in the lives of young people. The organization now celebrates 70 years of providing life-changing services to youth in our community, which enables them to realize bright futures.
National Mentoring Month, founded in 2002 by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and Harvard School of Public Health, aims to raise awareness about the need for more mentors in society as well as encouraging more people to become mentors to young people. The campaign celebrates the effects that mentoring youngsters and teens can have on individuals and society.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston values the many mentors who make a difference in the lives of children and teen club members, ages six through 17, who benefit from outstanding programming during the school year and in the summer months in some 23 clubs in five counties in the Houston area. These mentors assist kids with homework, work on reading, writing and math skills and participate in many other hands-on activities, while forming strong personal relationships in a safe environment.
“We at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston salute all of our volunteer mentors, as well as our own staff, who step in the gap every day to provide leadership, friendship and meaningful experiences to our Club members,” says Kevin Hattery, President and CEO. “Just like that special teacher who motivated his or her students to reach new heights, mentors can be a positive life influence and help keep kids on a track to success.”
The goals of National Mentoring Month are to:
- Raise awareness of mentoring in its various forms.
- Recruit individuals to mentor, especially in programs that have waiting lists of young people.
- Promote the rapid growth of mentoring by recruiting organizations to engage their constituents in mentoring.
Mentoring also includes a wealth of benefits for both the mentor and the mentee, including:
- Improves confidence
- Develops communication skills
- Exposes participants to new experiences
- Improves goal-setting
- Improves listening skills
- Develops organizational skills
Consider being a mentor in the Houston community. To learn how you can change the lives of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston members, please visit www.bgcgh.org.
