Sec. 2. Findings

267 words·~1 min read·/bill/117/hr/3083/ih/section-2

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Congress makes the following findings: Positive relationships are important for children and youth. An estimated 20 percent of youth do not have caring adults in their lives—representing 8,500,000 youth. Children who have a positive caring relationship with an adult can also benefit from additional positive relationships. Research shows that mentors make a difference in young people’s lives. At-risk youth who have mentors are 55 percent more likely to enroll in college. Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52 percent less likely than their peers to skip a day of school.

Youth who have mentors are also 130 percent more likely to hold a leadership position. Young people that have mentors have improved relationships with adults, fewer disciplinary referrals, and more confidence to achieve their goals. In 2017, 442,995 youth were in foster care. Of those youth 70,858 were between the ages of 10 and 13, and 101,983 were between the ages of 14 and 20. Mentoring programs that serve foster youth are unique and require additional considerations, including specialized training and support necessary to provide for consistent, long-term relationships for children in foster care.

Mentoring programs can be used as an effective preventative or intervention strategy to support positive outcomes for foster youth. Mentoring programs targeting at-risk youth, community-based programs, and programs lasting 1 year or more are more frequently found to be effective. Increasing evidence is showing that peer mentoring and support can be very effective in engaging young people. Alumni of and youth in foster care have noted the importance of the support and service delivery by individuals with lived experience, including peers.