United Way of King County is committed to getting children and youth ready for success in life and in school. There is no doubt mentoring can be an effective way to accomplish this task.

What is a Mentor, anyway?

A Mentor IS:   

• a trusted friend
• a guide
• a good listener
• a responsive adult
• a reliable adult

A Mentor IS NOT: 

• a savior
• a foster parent
• a therapist
• a parole officer
• a cool peer

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Why be a Mentor?

The best indicator of success for a child is a good relationship with a caring adult.

• Young people with mentors are more likely to stay in school and aspire to better grades
• They are 46% less likely to get into drugs, and 73% of mentored teens will raise their goals
• It's a life-changing experience for the young person, and for the mentor as well

As one mentor said,

"You don't know in advance how rewarding it is going to be, so you're worried about the responsibility of giving your time consistently.  The irony is that once I started doing it, my mentee showed me things about life I had forgotten about."

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Are you Mentor Material?

Think about how you want to work with a young person

• The types of activities that interest you. i.e. help youth develop a specific skill, pursue an interest, or just get to know them and be their friend
• The age and number of youth you want to work with
• The amount of time you have for a young person... Once a week?   Twice a month?  Weekdays or weekends?

It's important to be realistic about the responsibilities involved with mentoring a young person, but the rewards are priceless!

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