This editorial was written for The Commercial Appeal by Dr. Wanda Arnaud, a member of the MMP Leadership Council and a long-time proponent and advocate of mentoring.

Arnaud: More mentors needed in Memphis schools

April 25, 2005

Today's young people hold the key to tomorrow's progress. However, many of our youth may never realize their potential for accomplishing great things without the guidance and encouragement of an adult role model.

Many parents and teachers do a wonderful job of putting children on the path to a successful, fulfilling life. A mentor can take these efforts a step further -- or even completely fill this need, if necessary.

While Memphis has made great strides in establishing programs such as The Memphis Mentoring Partnership, an alliance of organizations and individuals that supports mentoring initiatives in our area, we still need more business leaders to show our young people that, yes, we care about them and there is a place for them in the world.

We need more mentors in Memphis schools to help build strong community leaders of tomorrow.

National studies show that this need for more mentors is widespread. A 2002 National Mentoring Poll sponsored by the AOL Time Warner Foundation showed that approximately 15 million young Americans ages 10 to 18 want and need mentors.

The results of this study -- the most recent national study on mentoring to date -- also show that a projected 57 million adults would seriously consider being a mentor to youth, and 99 percent of all mentors already in a formal mentoring relationship would recommend mentoring to others.

Mentoring can be as simple as sitting down with a child for an hour a week after school to read a book together or as structured as planning a weekly recreational activity. It has numerous positive results for the child being mentored, the adult doing the mentoring and the community as a whole. Here are a few ways young people benefit:

Focus: Many young people have difficulty paying attention when they're in a noisy room full of other active students. A mentor can offer a young person individualized attention in a quiet environment. In this manner, the student can focus on important lessons and improve performance in school.

Educational achievements: Besides serving as a positive role model for a young person, a mentor can also act as a tutor, offering the student additional assistance with challenging school assignments.

Self-esteem: When an adult takes an hour out of a busy day to spend quality time with a young person, this sends the message that we value our youth, believe in their potential and appreciate their contribution -- both now and in the future -- to our society.

Fewer destructive behavior patterns: A landmark study in 1995 by a Philadelphia-based research group, Public/Private Ventures, tracked 500 mentored, at-risk young people ages 10 to 16 from mostly urban, single-parent homes and compared them with a control group of 500 kids still on the wait list for mentors. After one year, the results were impressive: They showed that the mentored youth were significantly less likely to start using illegal drugs, start drinking or skip school.

Adults who participate in mentoring programs also enjoy significant benefits. Besides developing strong relationships with participating schools and school districts, mentors get a better understanding of the issues facing today's young people. Often, adults who are mentors develop lifelong friendships with their young partners.

There are many ways to become a mentor in the Memphis area. Visit The Memphis Mentoring Partnership Web site, memphismentors.org, for opportunities and a schedule of mentoring workshops.

Sometimes we give up too easily on our "problem students." Before writing them off as hopeless causes, let's take a closer look at their situations. Many of these young people simply need role models to believe in them and show them a different perspective. Then, with that strong foundation, their potential for success will be limitless.

Have you taken the time to talk to -- and really listen to -- a young person today? If not, perhaps you should. In the long run, it could mean the world to all of us.