Publisher's Synopsis
Every teenager should participate in this program, where he or he will learn how to mentor underclass students with the intent of keeping them safe and in school until graduation and hopefully helping them achieve their potential along the way. Many of today's youth find themselves in "survival" mode with no support network, no skills, and no hope. Their situation makes dropping out of school and joining a gang very attractive. A research study provided these statistics on mentoring: "Children who met with a mentor three times a month for one year were 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 27 percent decrease in initiating alcohol use, 52 percent less likely to skip school, and 33 percent less likely to get into fights." (Statistics from a nationwide review of Big Brothers/Big Sisters' Programs by Tierney & Grossman) Why? Because mentors provide acceptance, guidance, and validation, the same things everyone needs. This program stresses the importance of belief in oneself, acceptance, validation, enthusiasm, and effective communication, including listening skills-keys to success for everyone. Human relation skills are taught and practiced through the Mentoring Code of Ethics, the first being "Show respect to get respect." Students practice sample case studies to learn how to implement their new skills.
