Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mahaska County Celebrates National Mentoring Month with Enrollment of Local Volunteers and Youth
Robbyn Duchow cuts the ribbon officially opening the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Mahaska County.
[OSKALOOSA, IA] – January is National Mentoring Month, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mahaska County is celebrating the annual campaign aimed at expanding quality mentoring opportunities to connect more of our community’s young people with caring adults by enrolling local volunteers and youth into their program.
“We are just getting started with our program. Our doors opened in October 2017, and we are finally at the stage to enroll volunteers and youth participants into our program. January is National Mentoring Month and seems to be the perfect time to get started.” said Robbyn Duchow, Program Manager at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mahaska County.
Research shows that mentors play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to make responsible choices, attend and engage in school, and reduce or avoid risky behavior like drug use. In turn, these young people are:
55% more likely to be enrolled in college
81% more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities.
78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities.
More than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team.
Yet, the same research shows that one in three young people in our country will grow up without a mentor. Today, in our community there are at least 23% of kids who could benefit from having a mentor.
National Mentoring Month is the time of year where engagement from community members interested in becoming a mentor is highest. This year, with the support of the mentoring community, we are encouraging the public to go beyond just digital engagement – and become involved in real life. Mentoring relationships are at their best when connections are made between a caring adult and a young person who knows that someone is there to help guide them through those real-life decisions.
“In our community, people can get involved by applying to become a mentor or enrolling their child into our program. We will have plenty of volunteer opportunities as well throughout 2018, as we get our program started,” said Duchow.
National Mentoring Month is led by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, with support from the Highland Street Foundation.
To learn more about the role mentoring plays in our community and to find volunteer opportunities, visit www.BBBSMahaska.org, stop into the Big Brothers Big Sisters office at the Mahaska County YMCA or call Robbyn Duchow, Program Manager at 641-673-8411.
