Eleven-year-old Chicago public school student Geraod Taylor eagerly runs to the library at the end of each school day to meet his sibling-like mentor. Many children like Gerod, who live in disadvantaged inner-city neighborhoods, grow up with fathers who are in and out of prison or with fathers who are absent entirely. For these children, tutoring is crucial to their development; Nationwide, mentoring programs continue to prove how helpful they are for kids who grow up without adequate guidance or opportunity. The behavior, social skills, emotional well-being, responsibility and academic abilities of at-risk elementary students improve dramatically after taking part in mentoring programs, and it is important to recognize how much these programs can impact a child's life. All these improvements are interrelated: when one aspect of a student's life improves, it creates a domino effect that leads to further improvements. After observing the correlation, most mentoring programs now try to create other focuses besides academic development in order to benefit students as much as possible. As a result of the positive outcomes that mentoring has on children, programs are expanding throughout the United States. Across the nation, mentoring programs have been shown to bring substantial benefits to all aspects of young children's lives, especially at-risk children from low-income or inner-city families. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The most crucial part of a mentoring program comes from its volunteers. For students to reap the benefits of mentoring programs, they need to have an appropriate mentor who they can trust and get close to. Studies show that the benefits are greatest when the relationship between mentor and mentee lasts approximately or more than twelve months (Borden 3). This amount of time validates the establishment of trust with the mentor and a strong bond. If a student does not have fun during mentoring or does not build a relationship with their mentor, there is no incentive for the student to get involved or work on their skills. It is necessary to build a solid foundation for students' confidence and for them to be fully committed to the mentoring program. Many studies have shown that the closer the student is to his mentor, the more he will improve. Specifically, a study conducted by Amanda Bayer and the MDRC (Building Knowledge to Improve Social Policy) found a direct correlation between academic performance, quality of work, attendance and completion of school work and the type of relationship the student had with your mentor. . In this study conducted with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation, 75.6% of 225 kids reported feeling close to a mentor. This connection is so crucial; The data showed that kids with a close bond with their mentor had the highest scores in terms of improvement in all areas observed. It is also very important to take into account that children are the ones being mentored and that adults, other than family adults, may be intimidating or “scary” to young children. Choosing an appropriate mentor that children can connect with and trust is so important for this reason, as well as the correlation with improvement. Mentoring has been shown to dramatically improve student behavior, at home, at school, and in public. Before being introduced to tutoring, the children who lived inSocioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods often fared poorly due to lack of guidance and negative influences around them. It is common for these kids to be involved in violence, along with drug and alcohol abuse. Behavior is learned by observing one's parents, so many children from unhealthy families or those involved in violence or crime end up like this when they get older. Kids see it as their only option because they are constantly surrounded by negative behaviors and will therefore quickly learn the behaviors on their own. Mentoring allows for diverse (positive) influences to show children that they have different paths accessible in life. For example, the Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin included the findings of Bruce and Bridgeland's 2014 meta-analysis that “mentoring programs have shown that at-risk children who have been mentored are more likely to aspire to an education post-secondary than those at risk." children who have not participated in a mentoring program (76% vs. 55%)” (Angus 31). When children receive the proper guidance they learn to avoid the path of drug and alcohol abuse and violent behavior. When they stay out of trouble they are able to focus on more important aspects of their lives that lead to success later and inspire them to pursue higher education. This is the result of direct observation of the mentor's behavior and the way the mentor treats the child. The Big Brothers Big Sisters programs also observed these results: “The results indicated that the “little ones” (mentees) who regularly met with their “big ones” (mentors) for about a year were 46% less likely than the control group to start using illegal drugs. , 27% less likely to start drinking, 52% less likely to miss a day of school, and 37% less likely to skip a class” (Keating 717) At first glance, these statistics may seem tiny, but if you look at the number of kids from inner-city neighborhoods who take part in these behaviors, the reality is that the percentages are actually very significant. When kids consistently meet with their mentor and form a close bond, they are less likely to participate in the misbehaviors listed. With this close connection, kids are more likely to follow the advice given to them by their mentor and also learn the benefits of acting appropriately. Another case in which mentoring improved students' actions is that of altruistic behavior. Many students will unconsciously or consciously absorb their mentor's nurturing behavior. When you spend a significant amount of time with a person consistently, behaviors are learned very easily. This is exactly what happens with children in mentoring programs, especially if their mentor is someone they look up to. A mentor said: “One of the mothers noted that after starting the program, her son became more attentive and caring towards his younger grandchildren. In some cases, the student and the student's mother have begun to participate in volunteer activities in the school and community” (Ellis 32). Because the son is mentored and sees the way his mentor behaves towards him, he (consciously or unconsciously) chooses to treat his younger grandchildren the same way. As for helping the community, the feeling of relief and gratitude from being helped frequently may very well influence how willing someone is to help someone else and convey that feeling. Behavior is only one small aspect of life improved by mentoring, but so are skillssocial networks improve considerably. The strong, trusting relationships that students build with their mentors influence kids to become more sociable with others. Typically, as a result of opening up to a mentor and attending social events, kids will be more likely to open up to their classmates as well. For example, the mentoring program at Lady of The Lake University in Texas takes elementary students to college, on a field trip, or to play (Ellis 46). These events help students practice their social skills and develop stronger skills. During trips or events, students make more friends and keep them socializing, instead of sitting alone at school and coming home to an empty house when school is over. When a child is often neglected, he or she has no opportunities to socialize, which can compromise him or her socially as he or she grows up. This was also seen with Goldblatt Elementary School in Chicago. Without much social interaction at home, with parents absent, kids see their mentor as a father figure. By meeting with him daily, kids become more engaged in being social and this helps them talk about things they might not necessarily be able to talk about while at home (Vevea). It is also observed that when children return home to their families they are more confident and are able to interact/communicate better with their parents. This is a very common outcome found in youth development, and most mentoring programs are veering towards this approach (incorporating more social activities, not just academic help in a school setting). Improving social skills directly affects a child's emotional and mental well-being, improving social life is often directly related to emotional well-being. The benefits of mentoring mentioned above go hand in hand with improving self-esteem and emotional well-being. When a student doesn't have an adequate role model or has an absent parent, they often don't have the support to help them believe in themselves. They may be prone to often feeling judged or as if they don't amount to much in life due to a lack of encouragement. Mentoring fills this void by providing a role model who constantly supports and encourages their mentee. With constant support students gain more self-confidence. Studies and feedback show this to be true. A fifth grade student who went through a mentoring program at her school exclaimed “It makes me feel proud of myself, and she (the mentor) is proud too” (Ellis 52). It is also evident that the girl is happier and more confident. Mentors offer constant encouragement and rewards for when students perform well or improve. This makes kids want to continue doing well because they get so much satisfaction from their work when they are rewarded. By observing social engagement in addition to encouragement, many students make new friends, become more involved, and participate in more events, also leading to improved mental well-being. With more friends, your child's support system grows, they feel less alone, and they enjoy participating in more activities. Another example of this comes from Chicago's youth mentoring program. The group of young boys are paired with Mr. Boyd who played college basketball and after college went on to a successful career specializing in education and restorative justice. Mr. Boyd often discusses the meaning of success and imparts skills on how to be successful in their lives. Having a man like Mr. Boyd as a mentor inspires kids and gives them thecertainty that they too will be able to achieve success. One of his students, ten-year-old Everett Spraggs, says, "Just talking about success makes us want to be successful" (Vevea). Young Everett may never have said or thought anything remotely similar to this quote if it weren't for his mentorship. It is incredibly crucial that students are aware that they have the ability to escape their disadvantaged lives and not end up in and out of prison like many of their fathers. With reassurance students gradually regain confidence and their dream seems to be more and more a reality in their minds as they regain confidence. The Prime Mentors of Canada also take this approach. When a student is paired with their mentor, they design and lead a project on a topic of the student's choice. The benefits on confidence are explained in the report: “The experience of developing a project together with your mentor is intended to replace the support and motivation that your child may lack at home. Such support can then spark children's interest in continuing their education and reaching their creative potential rather than choosing a path that does not include post-secondary education” (Angus 32). Projects conducted in mentoring programs like this allow the student to put their skills into practice. presentation and allows them to stay focused on their interests. They learn to speak in front of their peers and stay motivated by their topic. This dramatically improves students' confidence, especially in the classroom, but also allows them to have confidence in their own interests. While all of these benefits are crucial to youth development, the original reasoning for mentoring arose from the need to improve academics. Academics are normally the main focus and push for tutoring of disadvantaged inner-city students. Every other aspect of life has an effect on a student's academic success. Because mentors are able to help improve these other aspects, academic success is proven to improve significantly as well. The Prime Mentors of Canada program awards many scholarships to students based on their academic success, and students who receive these scholarships continue on to some sort of post-secondary education after their elementary and high school careers. Being an at-risk student means kids are most likely lacking a financial backbone. For this reason, many kids drop out of school or don't know how to stay motivated when they think pursuing higher education is impossible for them. The Prime Mentors of Canada program and many other programs award scholarships to give students hope and motivation to continue school. The article states: “PM C has awarded 111 scholarships in the past decade or more, and the organization's data shows that 100% of students who received a scholarship at a young age and completed high school they went on to pursue post-secondary education” ( Angus 32) This statistic clearly shows how mentoring at a young age can continue into a child’s life, especially in the discussion of whether these kids will attend college. In fact, many children who have taken part in this program have also received funding and scholarships from major US universities, including Ivy League schools. With guidance and tutoring, students learn the skills necessary for academic success. Referring to the statistics provided by the text “The Effects of a Mentoring Program on At-Risk Youth” by Keating, the children who.