All children have the potential to succeed in life and contribute to

society. However, not all children get the support they need to thrive. Many need more caring adults in their lives to offer guidance and friendship.  

The word "mentor" comes from the Greek for "steadfast" and "enduring." Mentoring is the one-to-one or group relationship that one or more adults develop with one or more young people to help them develop and succeed.

The benefits of mentoring include:

• Improving self-esteem;

• Keeping young people in school;

• Helping improve academic skills;

• Leading young people to resources they might not find on their own;

• Providing support for new behaviors, attitudes and ambitions;

• Increasing young people's ability to seek and keep jobs;

• Enhancing parenting skills. 

Research supports these positive benefits in mentoring relationships. 

A Procter & Gamble study showed that of 133 Cincinnati students with mentors:

• All stayed in school, and their average attendance improved.

• Grade point averages were almost half a unit higher.

• Seniors were almost three times more likely to go to college.

• More trusting of parents or guardians and less likely to lie to them.

Of 400 high school students with mentors who participated in a Louis Harris poll:

• 73 percent said mentors helped them raise their goals and expectations.

• 87 percent went to college or planned to attend college within a year of graduation.

• 59 percent improved their grades.

• 87 percent said they felt some benefit from their mentoring relationship. 

A Terry Williams and William Kornblum study of 900 children concluded that having an adult mentor was the most significant factor in keeping teenagers off the streets. Researchers from Columbia University and the University of Massachusetts found that young people who overcome poverty to reach college often share a common bond: a mentor, or several mentors.

What to look for in a mentoring program for your child:

Mentoring is a special kind of caring, supportive relationship or partnership between two people that is based on trust and respect. Mentors share their knowledge and experience with young people to help them define and reach their goals.

A friend? A coach? Someone to help get a young person motivated? Maybe an advisor? A supporter? Or maybe even a career model? A mentor can be any of these. A mentor can provide advice to help a child evaluate options and make better decisions.

• A mentor can also give a child access to a new world of ideas and experiences.

• Depending on the relationship, a mentor can also provide advocacy. That is, a mentor can speak up for a youth in important situations.

Mentoring programs are encouraged to join the Partnership. Click here to see a list of our current members.

Become a Mentor today! Click here for a list of programs in our area.

Join the MMP today! To become a member, submit a survey/registration form and a signed memorandum of agreement.

Members complete an assessment form based on the standards adopted by the Partnership.

For more information call (901) 523-2425 or click here.  You may also visit our FAQ page.

Funding for the Memphis Mentoring Partnership provided by Memphis Grizzlies Foundation