HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRO-2020-001 National Mentoring Month Proclamation ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS , the people of Orange County honor caring adult mentors who support young
people by showing up for them every day and demonstrating their commitment to helping them
thrive ; and
WHEREAS , mentoring programs such as MENTOR North Carolina make our local
communities , our state and our nation stronger ; and
WHEREAS , quality mentoring promotes healthy relationships and communication , positive self-
esteem and growth of a young person ; and
WHEREAS , students who meet regularly with their mentors are more than fifty - two percent
[ 52 % ] less likely than their peers to skip a day of school , and youth who face an opportunity gap
and have a mentor are fifty -five percent [ 55 % ] more likely to be enrolled in college than those
who had no mentor ; and
WHEREAS , youth who regularly meet with their mentors are forty - six percent [ 46 % ] less likely
than their peers to start using drugs and twenty - seven percent [ 27 % ] less likely to start drinking
alcoholic beverages ; and
WHEREAS , two -thirds of adults consider it highly important for young people to have mentors ,
and that same population estimates that only a quarter of youth have the mentors they need ,
and
WHEREAS , research shows that forty -four percent [44 % ] of adults not yet mentoring are willing
to consider mentoring , and that mentoring is poised for growth ; and
WHEREAS , almost half of young adults today report having a mentor in their youth and those
rates appear to have been rising steadily over the past several decades ; and
WHEREAS , National Mentoring Month is the time of year where engagement from community
members interested in becoming a mentor is highest ,
NOW , THEREFORE , the Orange County Board of County Commissioners does hereby
proclaim January 2020 as National Mentoring Month in Orange County , and encourages all
residents to take this opportunity to celebrate , elevate and encourage mentoring in communities
across the county .
This the 21 st day of January 2020 .
, yr
17PIN " z Penny Rich , Chair
Orange County Board of Commissioners
F3f '=Leo ;