The Pride And Life Skills mentoring program (PALS) is a cooperative venture between The Ohio State University at Marion, Marion Mentors, and Marion Public Schools. PALS connects college students attending Ohio State Marion with children in the Marion area to provide one-on-one mentoring opportunities for younger students. Marion Mentors matches program volunteers with school-age children and provides them with the necessary resources and support to direct them through the mentoring process. Students earn 1-credit per semester of independent study by attending mentoring sessions regularly, coming to occasional meetings, and critically reflecting on their mentoring activities.
Research has shown that the supportive, healthy relationships formed between mentors and mentees are both immediate and long-term and contribute to a host of benefits for mentors and mentees. Click here for more information about how youth mentoring benefits the youth mentees, the mentors, and the community at large.