Mayor of Durango Proclaims National Mentoring Month

WHEREAS, January 2021 will mark the 19th anniversary of National Mentoring Month, an annual campaign to focus attention on the need for mentors, as well as how each of us can work together to increase the number of mentors to help ensure positive outcomes for our young people.

WHEREAS, Durango honors volunteer mentors who support young people by showing up for them every day and demonstrating their commitment to helping them thrive; and

WHEREAS, mentoring programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boys & Girls Club, La Plata Youth Services, 4 the Children, the Rainbow Youth Center and the Hive make our communities and our state stronger by driving impactful relationships that increase social capital for young people and provide invaluable support networks; and 

WHEREAS, during the COVID-19 pandemic, mentoring programs have stepped up to fill gaps for young people and families, connecting them with resources and ensuring that mentoring relationships continue virtually to ensure that physical distancing does not mean social disconnection; and

WHEREAS, mentoring plays a pivotal role in career exploration and supports workplace skills by helping young people set career goals, equipping mentors with the skills needed to support the professional growth of young people, and drives positive outcomes for young people and businesses; and

WHEREAS, quality mentoring promotes healthy relationships and communication, positive self-esteem, emotional well-being, and growth of a young person and their relationships with other adults; and 

WHEREAS, students who meet regularly with their mentors are more than 52 percent less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and youth who face an opportunity gap but have a mentor are 55 percent more likely to be enrolled in college than those who did not have a mentor; and 

WHEREAS, youth who meet regularly with their mentors are 46 percent less likely than their peers to start using drugs and 27 percent less likely to start drinking; and 

WHEREAS, almost half of today’s young adults report having a mentor in their youth and those rates appear to have been rising steadily over the past several decades, and

WHEREAS, National Mentoring Month is the time of year to celebrate, elevate, and encourage mentoring across our state and recruit caring adult mentors in Durango.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Dean Brookie, Mayor of Durango, do hereby proclamation January 2021, as National Mentoring Month in the City of Durango.