President Obama Proclaims January as National Mentoring Month
January 3, 2013: President Barack Obama has recognized January as National Mentoring Month 2013. In his presidential proclamation, Obama noted, "Our American family is bound together by caring individuals who make it their mission to serve others. During National Mentoring Month, we pay special tribute to the men and women who enrich the lives of our young people and fortify the unbreakable bonds between one generation and the next.
"Mentors know that helping a child unlock their full potential begins with care, guidance, and support - which is why my Administration is proud to celebrate mentorship nationwide through programs that help young people see the strength within themselves. We created the Corporate Mentoring Challenge, which encourages businesses across our country to open or expand mentoring programs that equip our youth with the tools to achieve. We have connected young men and women in the Washington, D.C., area with mentors at the White House, and we have partnered with groups across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to build pathways to summer job opportunities for low-income and disconnected youth. And since 2010, we have worked to build strong connections between children and responsible adults through our Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative."
"A supportive mentor can mean the difference between struggle and success. As we mark this important occasion, I encourage all Americans to spend time as a mentor and help lift our next generation toward their hopes and dreams."
MENTOR's President and Chief Executive Officer David Shapiro expressed gratitude for the presidential proclamation, saying, "National Mentoring Month was created 12 years ago to raise awareness of mentoring and as a rallying point for recruiting more adults to step up and be present for young people. With this proclamation and the actions of so many around this nation, we continue to see the urgency with which we must act and the essential nature of adult support for our young people if they are to thrive. Mentoring Partnerships nationwide and MENTOR are grateful to the president, his administration and local public leaders and media outlets across this country for recognizing the importance of mentoring, elevating National Mentoring Month each January and furthering the mentoring movement each and every day throughout the year."
Read the full text of the proclamation here. For more information on quality youth mentoring, as well as MENTOR's network of Mentoring Partnerships, go to www.mentoring.org.
