Think back to your childhood and the adults who influenced you to become who you are today. The person who encouraged you to do better in school, to pursue sports or music, the person you went to for advice when things got tough. Now imagine you never met that person. Where would you be?
As the first in my family to go to college, my parents weren't the best at helping me navigate my life beyond high school. I was fortunate to have two teachers who inspired me to achieve pushed me to the absolute limits and inspired me in my most vulnerable years. But for many kids from stressed households, the expectation of a stable future is low. These are kids living a life where money and food are very thin, violence is too prevalent and they would be the first in their family to graduate high school, let alone college.
The question constantly asked of nonprofits that serve youth is how to best change the path a child is on. Research studies always point in the same direction: Positive relationships with adult role models are the best method for changing the trajectory of a child's life and, as a result, the lives of those around them.
Children that have or have had a mentor:
1. Have higher high school and college graduation rates. Dropping out of high school doesn't happen all at once--it is usually a gradual disengagement that happens over time and often begins with lack of expectation of the future. A mentor starts with asking simple questions: "How was school? Did you go?" As trust builds in the relationship, they can also help kids overcome everyday challenges they face on campus and navigate the more complex aspects of college planning, like A-G requirements, college applications, and financial aid. Of the 3,000-plus children our Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) program, 98% graduated on-time, 70% were the first in their family to earn a high school diploma, 90% enrolled in college, and 100% credited their mentor as having the biggest influence on this statistic.
2. Are less likely to harm themselves. I see this on a day-to-day basis all too frequently, especially among young girls. Children that have a mentor are 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to begin drinking alcohol. They also learn to trust adults, leading to better relationships with authority figures.
3. Act less violent. Because mentoring meets basic developmental needs, children in the BBBS program are 33% less likely to physically hit someone, despite growing up with exposure to violence, abuse and neglect. Kids with mentors learn better coping skills, making them less dependent on violent outbursts.
4. Have more confidence. Mentors show kids that they are worth their time. Children with positive adult relationships have more confidence in their own abilities both in school and in life. As a result of their mentor relationship, 89% of the kids in our program have a higher sense of self worth.
5. Dream bigger goals. Mentoring children during their formative years changes their entire trajectory. It shapes their ideas about what they can achieve and lays the necessary groundwork for future success in college and beyond. Through BBBS, 77% of children set higher goals than they would have on their own because of their mentors.
Even more astonishing is the impact mentees have on the community around them. Children with mentors grow up to have higher levels of community engagement and volunteering than their peers. One-to-one mentoring creates this ripple effect across communities and through generations, resulting in long-term socioeconomic change.
In the 100-year history of BBBS, we've learned that what matters isn't the activities children engage in with their mentors, but that they create these strong and enduring relationships. They have someone to confide in and look up to--and that makes all the difference.
This post originally appeared on the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County blog.