By Ryan Hundt
January is National Mentoring Month, which serves as an opportunity to recognize the annual campaign aimed at expanding quality mentoring opportunities to connect more of our community’s young people with caring adults.
As leaders, we are called to serve, to inspire others and influence outcomes in our personal and professional lives. Whether you are a coach for your child’s little league team or working the front lines at Michigan Works!, you can make a significant impact in the lives of countless individuals. It is important to have a role model for success, and someone you trust who can give you positive reinforcement and hold you accountable.
Research shows that mentors play a significant role in empowering young people, offering trusted advice and raising confidence levels to help navigate life’s most pressing challenges.
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.
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 Michigan, the Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC) and Mentor Michigan+ is asking you to celebrate National Mentoring Month by thanking your mentor on social media or reaching out to a child in need.
Specific days to celebrate during National Mentor Month include:
January 6, 2022 – I Am a Mentor Day
A day for volunteer mentors to celebrate their role and reflect on the ways mentees have enhanced their world.
January 17, 2022 – International Mentoring Day
Join the international conversation on social media where photos, videos and messages of powerful mentoring stories are shared. Use #MentoringDay & #MentoringMonth in your posts!
January 17, 2022 – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
A day to share in the inspirational words of Dr. MLK, Jr. and elevate the spirit of service through volunteerism.
January 27, 2022 – #ThankYourMentor Day
Thank your Mentor for making a difference!
Personally, I have benefited tremendously from mentorship opportunities over the course of my professional career, thanks in no small part to people like Jen Nelson, Valerie Christofferson, and Karl Dehn to name a few. Gratitude is an easy and powerful way to acknowledge the impact that another person has had on your life. Showing appreciation to those that have helped you out is a fantastic way to both inspire and encourage the next generation to become mentors.