Outreach

Benefits of Mentoring

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.

Benefits for youth:

  • Increased high school graduation rates/ Lower high school dropout rates
  • Healthier relationships and lifestyle choices
  • Better attitude about school (Blakely, Menon, & Jones, 1995)
  • Higher college enrollment rates and higher educational aspirations
  • Enhanced self-esteem and self-confidence
  • Improved behavior, both at home and at school
  • Stronger relationships with parents, teachers, and peers
  • Improved interpersonal skills
  • Decreased likelihood of initiating drug and alcohol use (MENTOR, 2009; Cavell, DuBois, Karcher, Keller, & Rhodes, 2009)
  • Better school attendance (Tierny, Grossman, Resch, 2000; Herrera, Grossman, Kauh, Feldman, McMaken, & Jucovy, 2007)
  • Decreased violent behavior (Tierny et al., 1995)
four children smiling
four children smiling

Benefits for mentors:

  • Increased self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-awareness
  • A sense of accomplishment
  • Improvements in coaching, counseling, listening, and role modeling skills (U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Best Practices: Mentoring, September 2008)
  • Creation of networks of volunteers
  • Insight into childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood
  • Mentors can build strong leadership skills by directly contributing to the betterment of an individual’s life.
  • Be rewarded with the knowledge that you directly helped another human being in their life’s journey
  • Strong communication skills
  • Exposure to new and different perspectives
  • Supporting another person
  • Increased patience and improved supervisory skills (U.S. Department of Labor, n.d.)
young adult smiling in a field
an adult man playing with four children

Benefits to OSUM and Marion community:

  • Facilitates the growth and development of the Marion Community
  • Demonstrates visible commitment to Marion Community by OSUM
  • Having engaged, socially responsible individuals that are invested in the future and success of Marion
  • Reducing the number of high school dropouts and therefore creating less financial strain on the community
  • More adults who know how to engage those younger than themselves in common everyday interaction. This helps younger people feel like they are valued and appreciated as members of the community