Benefits of Mentoring for Youth

A financial executive based in New York City, James “Jimmy” Ahern serves as head of capital markets at Laidlaw & Company. In addition to his responsibilities at Laidlaw, James “Jim” Ahern has volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, a nonprofit organization providing one-on-one mentoring opportunities for at-risk youth.

There are many benefits of youth mentoring, and some center on academic performance and behavior in school. According to a 2007 study conducted by Kennelly & Monrad, students who keep to regular meetings with their mentors are 37 percent less likely to skip class and 52 percent less likely to skip an entire day of school. In terms of behavior issues, a 2002 study suggested that young children facing an opportunity gap are 55 percent more likely to attend college if they have a mentor supporting them.

The mentoring relationship also has numerous benefits for children outside the classroom. Young people with regular mentors are significantly less likely than their non-mentored peers to start drinking or using illegal drugs. Mentoring makes youth 81 percent more likely to participate in extracurricular activities, which coincides with a major improvement in communication skills and a reduction in the symptoms of depression.