Welcome to Bay Area Mentoring!
Bay
Area Mentoring promotes youth mentoring by connecting programs and community members throughout Northern California.
Pass It On... Become a Mentor!
What is a mentor? A mentor literally means
"a wise and trusted friend." But to a youth, it can mean much, much more. Mentoring is about people of different
ages and backgrounds sharing their life experiences and learning from each other. If you think about it, most of us have had
a mentor: someone who took the time to explain how things worked, showed us the ropes, or gave us the confidence we needed.
If you've benefited from the attention of a mentor in your life, now is the time to pass
it on and become a mentor to a young person!
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January is National
Mentoring Month!
January 2012 is the eleventh
annual National Mentoring Month, a time each year when our nation spotlights the importance of mentors and the need for
every child to have a caring adult in his or her life. Activities include a concentrated burst of national and local media
activity combined with White House and Congressional involvement and extensive community outreach to institutionalize the
nation's commitment to long-term mentoring. National Mentoring Month efforts are spearheaded by the Harvard Mentoring Project
of the Harvard School of Public Health, MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership, and the Corporation for National and Community
Service. As the lead local partner, Bay Area Mentoring is the designated partnership in the San
Francisco Bay Area responsible for coordinating local campaign activities. National Mentoring Month 2012
President Barack Obama proclaims January 2012 National
Mentoring Month! "Every day, mentors
help young Americans face the challenges of growing into adulthood. By setting a positive example and sharing their
time, knowledge, and experience, mentors play an essential role in preparing our Nation's youth for a bright future.
During National Mentoring Month, we celebrate the contributions of all those who cultivate a supportive environment for the
next generation, and we recommit to expanding mentorship opportunities across our country." Read more here. "I Am A Mentor" Day January
11 on Facebook! This year's National Mentoring Month features a new social media campaign to focus national attention on the need for
mentors. The campaign is set up as a Facebook event titled "I Am A MENTOR" for January 11 and will be concentrated
on a one-day call to action for mentors to post their stories and invite others in their network to join. Check out and join the event here. Our goal is for Bay Area Mentoring publicity efforts and activities to
raise awareness of the need for positive adult role models in the Bay Area. Visit the Events Page to read
more about our efforts. Learn more about National Mentoring Month. You'll see information about the national push to promote mentoring, including the Who Mentored You? project.
Did you have a mentor who was important in your life? Write a tribute to celebrate National Mentoring Month!
Watch
the National Mentoring Month PSAs featuring General Colin Powell and the ReelPeople Project.
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Bay Area Mentoring Efforts
In January 2012, Bay Area Mentoring’s 20 member programs will be reaching out to
more teens and adults, urging them to serve as volunteer mentors to 2,500 children and youth waiting to be matched. The
need for positive and caring role models to connect with children in their own communities is greater than ever. Sarah Kremer,
Program Director of Friends for Youth’s Mentoring Institute and Coordinator for Bay Area Mentoring,
says, “Mentors are needed now more than ever to motivate, inspire, and listen to young people lacking positive, stable
adult role models. By showing up consistently, you can build a relationship that can last a lifetime and have a tremendous
impact on a young person.” Recent research backs up
these claims: youth involved in mentoring relationships are seen to benefit from the presence of a supportive adult,
resulting in reduced delinquency and gang involvement as well as improved academic performance and attendance (Rhodes
& DuBois, 2008). This year’s campaign, designed to focus on mentoring as
a strategy for boosting academic achievement, is Invest in the Future – Become a Mentor. As one mentee says, “My mentor has encouraged me to be more involved with school, more proactive in my life. She has helped me grow
up and make decisions in a more adult way.”
General Colin L. Powell headlines this year’s National Mentoring Month volunteer recruitment
drive. In the PSA prepared for broadcast on television and radio, General Powell says, “Our nation’s future success depends on how well we prepare our young
people to thrive in a highly competitive world. You can play an important role in helping a young person achieve success by
volunteering as a mentor.” Last year, more than 500,000 individuals across the country
responded to the campaign by seeking information about local mentoring programs in need of more volunteers. Bay
Area Mentoring programs served more than 6,300 children and youth last year, but need at least 2,500 more
in 2012 for those waiting to be matched.
Download a press release about Bay Area Mentoring's 2012 National Mentoring Month
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Bay Area Mentoring was created to help organizations reach potential
mentors by partnering with other local programs. Through National Mentoring Month events, the annual Northern California
mentoring conference, workshops, and networking opportunities, mentoring programs can leverage their voice to reach volunteers,
donors, and the media. To become involved in this community of youth mentoring, be sure to register your program with Bay
Area Mentoring so you can be updated on activities, conferences, and program opportunities. To learn more, contact us
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