The Need for Youth Mentorship

The world has a lot of problems to solve, but one that is unprecedented is the mental wellbeing of our youth in this country. It’s plain to see that there is a mental health epidemic among the young people in our country that has been cultivated over many years and will likely take many years to unravel.  But, even with these challenges, there are many positive solutions that will make a better future for all. Lead4Life and other organizations are doing their best to provide the most optimal care for America’s youth.

Why is it Happening?

Mental health cases have been spiking dramatically over the past few years, but the causes are still up for debate. The rise of violence from delinquent youth causes more concern for fixing the root causes (Such as the common practice of required adult supervision for anyone under 18.) The COVID-19 Pandemic is one undeniable reason; A mixture of social distancing and COVID-19 caused major panic, anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders. According to the CDC, “more than a third (37%) of high school students reported they experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 44% reported they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year.” We’re not alone. Every society around the world saw similar statistics.

One other major reason for the  mental health decline of our youth is the dependence on how most are communicating, which is through social media. Concerned parents and news headlines recently have been showing the downsides to only communicating online. According to Anne Marie Albano from Columbia University, “When an individual is not engaging in the world in a healthy way—interacting with others, managing themselves in challenging situations, whether it’s in classes or speaking up in class, going on interviews, dealing with conflict with peers—and instead increase their online presence, this can exacerbate their feelings of alienation, hopelessness, isolation, anxiety, and depression.”  The problem isn’t social media itself, it’s the effects it has on healthy human development and psyche. Our challenge is to better inform and convince our  young population of the dangers of their reliance on social media as a way to communicate and determine one’s self worth.

Possible Solution?

There are of course many different possible solutions to approach mental wellness and offer support to our youth including the determination and execution of other creative outlets, learning better ways to spend free time, practicing meditation or mentoring.  For the purposes of this blog, let’s briefly talk about the benefits of mentoring. The statistics don’t lie when it comes to how mentoring makes changes for the better, “Young adults with a mentor are 130% more likely to hold leadership positions, 55% less likely than their peers to skip school, and 78% more likely to volunteer regularly.” The impact of mentoring is more than statistically significant, it can start a chain reaction in the minds of our young people to turn them towards a more positive future. Sadly, many communities lack proper role models or mentors, making it difficult for our young population, especially our most underprivileged youth,  to be exposed to this form of help. But, Lead4Life wants to change that with its impactful Mentoring Initiative program.

In our mentoring program, youth participants are met with support and guidance in order to be exposed to resources in the community and positive influences. Clinical mentoring offers individuals the opportunity to meet with a skill-specific mentor. Parent mentoring services provide hands-on support to parents who need additional encouragement and assistance in order to address barriers they are experiencing. Click here to learn more and apply to be a mentor.

Sources:

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/01/trends-improving-youth-mental-health
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/local-news/mall-in-columbia-will-require-adult-supervision-on-weekends
https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/parental-guidance-now-required-at-towson-town-center
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/p0331-youth-mental-health-covid-19.html