Submitted by Ann Kent
Student/Partner Alliance (S/PA), a Summit based non-profit, recently held their second annual wine and cheese networking event at Christ Church in Summit, NJ to celebrate National Mentoring Month. A group of 30 Partners, mentors, and prospective mentors from the Summit area filled the room to discuss the power of mentoring.
Rev. Chuck Rush of Christ Church in Summit spoke enthusiastically about the St. Benedict’s Prep experience and the importance of love and support in leading to the success of young men in our urban areas. S/PA staff spoke about ways in which mentors can effectively communicate with their mentees and veteran Partners shared countless stories about their experiences mentoring S/PA students. We had 4 new mentors at the event who are looking forward to developing a relationship with their mentees over the next few years.
Research from mentor.org shows that mentors play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to strive and thrive, to attend and engage in school, and to reduce or avoid risky behavior like drug use. In turn, these young people are:
- 55% more likely to be enrolled in college
- 81% more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities
- 78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities.
- More than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team.
The same research shows that one in three young people in our country will grow up without a mentor. Today in our community there are so many young people who could benefit from having a mentor outside their family.
To learn more about the role mentoring plays in our community and to find volunteer opportunities with us visit studentpartneralliance.org. If you would like to learn more about our program, please contact Ann Kent at akent@studentpartneralliance.org.
(above) Partners, mentors, and prospective mentors from the Summit area gathered for the Student/Partner Alliance’s second annual wine and cheese networking event.
