Eleven-year-old Geraod Taylor, attending a Chicago public school, eagerly rushes to the library at the end of each school day to meet his brother-like mentor . Many children like Gerod, living in deprived inner-city neighborhoods, grow up with fathers in or out of prison or with fathers absent altogether. For these children, mentoring is crucial to their development; Nationwide, mentoring programs continue to prove how beneficial they are for children growing up without proper guidance or opportunity. The behavior, social skills, emotional well-being, responsibility and academic skills of at-risk elementary school students improve significantly after participating in mentoring programs and it is important to recognize how these programs can have an impact on a child's life. All of these improvements are interrelated: as one aspect of a student's life improves, it creates a domino leading to more improvements. Having observed this correlation, most mentoring programs now try to create other focuses besides academic development in order to benefit students as much as possible. Because of the positive outcomes of mentoring on children, programs are expanding across the United States. Across the country, mentoring programs have proven to substantially benefit all aspects of young children's lives, particularly at-risk children from low-income households or disadvantaged neighborhoods. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayThe most crucial part of a mentoring program comes from its volunteers. For students to reap the benefits of mentoring programs, they must have a suitable mentor with whom they can trust and connect. Studies show that the benefits are greatest when the relationship between mentor and mentee lasts approximately twelve months or more (Borden 3). This time validates a relationship of trust with the mentor and a strong bond. If a student doesn't value their time during mentoring or build a relationship with their mentor, there is no incentive for them to get involved or develop their skills. A strong foundation must be built to gain the students' trust and for them to do their best in the mentoring program. Numerous studies have shown that the closer the student is to his mentor, the more he improves. Specifically, a study by Amanda Bayer and MDRC (Building Knowledge to Improve Social Policy) found a direct correlation between academic performance, quality of work, attendance, and completion of schoolwork, all with the type of relationship the student had with their mentor. . In this study carried out with the Big Brothers Big Sisters foundation, 75.6 percent of 225 children said they felt close to a mentor. This connection is so crucial; The data showed that children with a close connection to their mentor had the highest improvement scores in all areas observed. It is also very important to keep in mind that children are the subjects being supervised and that adults, excluding familiar adults, can potentially be intimidating or "scary" to young children. Choosing a suitable mentor that children can connect with and trust is so important for this reason, in addition to the correlation with improvement. Mentoring has been shown to significantly improve student behavior,home, at school and in public. Before being introduced to mentoring, children from socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods often misbehaved due to lack of guidance and negative influences around them. It is common for these children to be involved in violence, as well as drug and alcohol abuse. Behavior is learned by observing one's parents, so many children from unhealthy families or families involved in violence or crime end up this way when they are older. Children see this as their only option because they are constantly surrounded by negative behaviors and so they will quickly adopt the behaviors themselves. Mentoring allows different (positive) influences to show children that they have different paths available to them in life. For example, the Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin included the results of Bruce and Bridgeland's 2014 meta-analysis, which found that "mentoring programs have shown that at-risk children who have been mentored are more likely to aspire to college." postsecondary education than those at risk. children who did not participate in a mentoring program (76% versus 55%)” (Angus 31). When children receive proper counseling, they learn to avoid drug and alcohol abuse as well as violent behavior. By avoiding trouble, they are able to focus on more important aspects of their lives, which will later lead them to success and inspire them to pursue higher education. This is the result of direct observation of their mentor's behavior and how the mentor treats the child. Big Brothers Big Sisters programs also observed these results: “Results indicate that “littles” (mentees) who met regularly with their “bigs” (mentors) for about a year were 46% less likely than the control group to start to use illegal drugs. , 27% less likely to start drinking, 52% less likely to skip a day of school, and 37% less likely to skip a class” (Keating 717). At first glance, these statistics may seem small, but when you look at the number of inner-city children who engage in these behaviors, the reality is that the percentages are actually very significant. When children meet with their mentor regularly and form a close bond, they are less likely to participate in the misbehaviors listed. Through this close bond, children are more likely to follow the advice given to them by their mentor and also learn the rewards for acting appropriately. Another case where mentoring improved student actions was in altruistic behavior. Many students will unconsciously or consciously adopt their mentor's caring behavior. When you regularly spend a lot of time with a person, behaviors are learned very easily. This is exactly what happens to children in mentoring programs, especially if their mentor is someone they admire. A mentor said: “One of the mothers observed that after starting the program, her son became more attentive and caring towards his younger nieces and nephews. In some cases, the student and his or her mother began participating in volunteer work at school and in the community” (Ellis 32). Because the son is mentored and sees the way his mentor acts toward him, he chooses (consciously or unconsciously) to treat his younger nieces and nephews the same way. When it comes to helping the community, the feeling of relief and gratitude that comes from being helped frequently may well influence a person's willingness to help someone else and pass this on.feeling. Behavior is just one small aspect of life improved by mentoring, but social skills also improve significantly. The trusting and strong relationships that students form with their mentors inspire children to become more social with others. Typically, through their openness to the mentor and participation in social events, children will also be more likely to open up to their classmates. For example, the mentoring program at Lady of The Lake University in Texas takes elementary school students to college, on field trips or playing games (Ellis 46). These events help students practice their social skills and develop stronger skills. During field trips or events, students make more friends and keep them connected, instead of staying alone during school and returning home to an empty house after school is over. When a child is frequently neglected, they do not have the opportunity to socialize, which can harm them socially as they grow. This was also observed at Goldblatt Elementary School in Chicago. Without much social interaction at home with their parents absent, young boys see their mentor as a father figure. By meeting him daily, the boys become more engaged in social life and it helps them talk about things they can't necessarily talk about at home (Vevea). It is also observed that when children return home to their families, they are more confident and are able to interact/communicate better with their parents. This is a very common outcome in youth development and most mentoring programs are moving towards this approach (incorporating more social activities, not just academic help in a school setting). Improving social skills directly affects a child's emotional and mental well-being, with improved social life often directly correlated with emotional well-being. The previously mentioned benefits of mentoring go hand in hand with improved self-esteem and emotional well-being. When a student does not have a suitable role model or has an absent parent, they often lack the support needed to help them believe in themselves. They may tend to often feel judged or like they don't mean much in life due to lack of encouragement. Mentoring fills this void by providing a role model who constantly supports and encourages their mentee. Through constant support, students gain self-confidence. Studies and feedback prove it. A fifth grader who completed a mentoring program at her school exclaimed, “It makes me proud of myself, and she (the mentor) is proud too” (Ellis 52). It is also evident that the girl is more satisfied and confident. Mentors provide constant encouragement and rewards when students succeed or improve. This makes children want to continue to do well because they are very satisfied with their work when they are rewarded. By observing social engagement in addition to encouragement, many students make new friends, become more involved, and attend more events, also leading to better mental well-being. With more friends, a child's support system grows, they feel less alone, and they enjoy participating in more activities. Another example is the mentoring program for young boys in Chicago. The group of young boys are paired with Mr. Boyd, who played college basketball and, after college, embarked on a successful career specializing in education and justicerestorative. Mr. Boyd frequently discusses the meaning of success and imparts skills on how to succeed in life. Having a man like Mr. Boyd as a mentor inspires the boys and gives them confidence that they too are capable of success. One of her mentees, ten-year-old Everett Spraggs, says, “Just talking about success makes us want to succeed” (Vevea). Young Everett might never have said or thought something like this quote without the mentorship. It is extremely crucial that students are aware that they have the opportunity to escape their deprived lives and not end up in prison like many of their fathers. Once reassured, the students gradually regain confidence and their dream seems to become more and more a reality in their minds as they regain confidence. Prime Mentors of Canada also have this approach. When a student is paired with their mentor, they design and lead a project on a topic chosen by the student. The benefits on confidence are explained in the report: “The experience of developing a project alongside one's mentor is intended to replace the support and motivation that may be lacking in the child's home. Such support can then spark an interest in children to continue their education and realize their creative potential rather than choosing a path that does not include post-secondary education” (Angus 32). Projects conducted through mentoring programs like this allow the student to practice their presentation and allow them to stay focused on their interests. They learn to speak in front of their peers and also stay motivated about their topic. This greatly improves students' confidence, mainly in the classroom, but also allows them to be confident in their interests. While all of these benefits are crucial to youth development, the initial reasoning for mentoring stems from the need for improved academic performance. Academics are normally the primary focus and motivation for mentoring disadvantaged inner-city students. All other aspects of life have an effect on a student's academic success. As mentors are able to help improve these other aspects, academic achievement also improves significantly. The Prime Mentors of Canada program awards numerous scholarships to students based on their academic achievement and students who receive these scholarships continue their post-secondary education after their primary and secondary education. Being an at-risk student means children likely lack financial support. For this reason, many children drop out of school or don't know how to stay motivated when they think pursuing higher education is impossible for them. The Prime Mentors of Canada program and many other programs award scholarships to give students hope and motivation to continue their education. The article states: “PM C has awarded 111 scholarships over the past decade or more, and the organization's data shows that 100 percent of students who received a scholarship at a young age and completed high school have pursued postsecondary education" (Angus 32) This statistic clearly shows how mentoring at a young age can continue later in a child's life, particularly in the discussion of whether these children will go to college. university. In fact, many children who participated in this program also received grants and scholarships from major American universities, including Ivy League schools. Through guidance and tutoring, students learn the skills necessary for academic success. In this.