WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King have joined a bipartisan resolution recognizing January 2024 as “National Mentoring Month” to celebrate the positive influence mentors can have on children and young adults. 

The resolution underscores the mentoring gap that exists in the United States, where only one in three young people grow up with a mentor, and highlights the need for more adults to invest their time in the success of young adults. 

“Mentors provide leadership and act as role models for children and young adults as they navigate challenging times during their lives,” said Senators Collins and King. “The bipartisan 2024 National Mentoring Resolution underscores the importance of this figure in a child’s life to equip our young people with the guidance that will empower them to build a brighter future for themselves and for the state of Maine.”

The resolution recognizes the benefits of mentoring, including fostering life skills in young adults.  According to MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, young people with a mentor are:

1. 52 percent less likely to skip a day of school;
2. 55 percent more likely to be enrolled in college;
3. 92 percent more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities; and
4. 75 percent more likely to hold a leadership position in a club or sports team.

The 2024 National Mentoring Month resolution is cosponsored by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mike Braun (R-IN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Tom Carper (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), James Lankford (R-OK), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

The full text of the resolution can be found here.

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