“Mentoring, at its core, guarantees young people that there is someone who cares about them, assures them they are not alone in dealing with day-to-day challenges, and makes them feel like they matter.” –The National Mentoring Partnership

At Education Inc., we serve a population of young people facing a variety of obstacles from terminal illnesses, mental illnesses, and behavioral challenges to eating disorders, addictions, and learning disabilities. Regardless of the particular obstacle, it remains our goal to offer these student-patients an exceptional education—one that enables them to succeed while in the midst of treatment.
In order to achieve that goal, our company employs a group of dedicated professionals who encourage, support, and help student-patients to meet their educational needs. In short, our company employs mentors—a variety of individuals who strive to ensure that our student-patients know they are not alone as they go through treatment, that they matter in spite of any of their troubles, and that they are cared about.

Why is this important?

According to the National Mentoring Partnership, the benefits of mentorship are endless. Where young people see darkness, mentors can shed light. When they know no guidance, a mentor can reach out and lead the way. Mentors become confidants, friends, and positive influences and as a result, research has shown that mentees go on to have more opportunity over those without mentors. What is more, mentees are less likely to use illicit drugs and alcohol, less likely to have depressive symptoms, and are more likely to attend college (The National Mentoring Partnership).

In other words, mentors make all the difference because of their willingness to invest in young people. So, in honor of National Mentoring Month, we at Education, Inc. are shedding light on the value of your influence as friends, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, teachers, and more. Please check back throughout the week for more on Education Inc.’s role in mentorship and for more on this critical area of human connection, visit www.mentoring.org.

Authored by Diana Dreher