January is National Mentoring Month 

Celebrating its ninth year, National Mentoring Month is a creation of the Harvard School of Public Health in partnership with the National Mentoring Partnership and the Corporation for National Volunteering and Service. The mission of this month is to put a spotlight on the many positive benefits that mentoring has on the community.

There are many ways to engage in mentoring efforts and opportunities that fit every walk of life, personal interest and time availability. Some opportunities on the website www.mentoring.org even feature “e-mentoring” which is truly tailored to the busy professional and the technology age. In these programs mentors are asked to spend a predetermined time each month checking in with their mentees via email, “IM”, or text messaging in addition to scheduled face-to-face meeting times.

National Mentoring Month sets out these goals on their website:

·        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.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, almost 16 million young people could benefit from a mentoring relationship, but only 500,000-750,000 young people are currently served.  There is a great need for positive role models and there is no better time to find out how you can get involved.   January 21, 2010 is Thank Your Mentor Day, which is designed for you to let your mentor know how much you appreciate their investment in you!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH AND TO FIND MENTORING OPPORTUNITIES IN YOUR COMMUNITY VISIT:

www.nationalmentoringmonth.org

www.mentoring.org  

TO FIND OUT HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THANK YOUR MENTOR DAY:

http://www.nationalmentoringmonth.org/take_action/thankyourmentorday/

Please join us this JANUARY by promoting the mission and goals of National Mentoring Month. Consider becoming a mentor and if you have benefited from a mentor let them know you appreciate them on January 21, 2010!