January was
National Mentoring Month, and young people from the Berkshires had a chance to
make their voices heard in support of mentoring far outside the county - on
Beacon Hill! Berkshire United Way supported a field trip for youth and adults
involved in two of our funded programs, Railroad Street Youth Project’s RSYP
Mentoring Program and Berkshire Children and Families’ Pittsfield Community
Connection (PCC), to tell their stories about the positive impact of mentoring
at the Massachusetts State House.
Mentoring plays
an important role in our work with young people – increasing high school
graduation rates, reducing teenage pregnancy, and ensuring young people have
the support they need to graduate high school with a college or career plan. We
currently invest in four local mentoring programs; last year, those programs connected
281 young people with a caring adult.
Youth Mentoring
Day is an annual advocacy day at the State House, sponsored by Mass Mentoring
Partnership. A total of 15 mentees met with their respective Representatives,
Tricia Farley-Bouvier of Pittsfield and Smitty Pignetelli of south county as
well as Adam Hinds’ team to advocate for the mentoring line item in the state
budget. This funding helps support mentoring programs across the state.
Deonte, a
mentee in the PCC program, told Tricia Farley-Bouvier, “I’ve been with the
program for a few years. It really helped me because in the beginning, I was
not on the best path, I wasn’t hanging out with the best crowd. But PCC and my
mentors helped me with school and applying to college. I just found out I got
accepted – I’m not sure where I’m going yet. But I’m really happy to be on that
path now.”
So why mentor?
Research confirms that quality mentoring relationships have powerful positive
effects on young people. Ultimately, mentoring connects a young person to
personal growth and development, and social and economic opportunity. Yet one
in three young people will grow up without this critical asset (source: mentoring.org).
To view a list
of mentor opportunities in the Berkshires, visit this link
and simply type in your zip code to view programs in your area. You may also reach out to me to learn more
about mentoring opportunities at ktoomey@berkshireunitedway.org
; 413-442-6948 x 15. I hope to hear from you!
Kat Toomey
Coordinator of Positive Youth Development
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