According to MENTOR, a national mentoring organization, there are more than 14 million young people who lack caring adults in their lives.
Mentoring is a proven and effective way to give youth the support and encouragement they need to stay in school and to grow both 
academically and personally. Studies have shown that when youth are mentored, they have better class attendance and a better chance of pursuing higher education. Mentoring also helps prevent substance abuse and improves communication between youth and their parents. Of course, mentoring is most effective when it is used alongside other services, including those that Communities In Schools of North Carolina offers.
Anyone can be a mentor, so long as a mentor is someone who, along with parents, provides young people with support, counsel, friendship, reinforcement and constructive example. Mentors are good listeners, people who care and people who want to help bring out a child’s strengths. Most importantly, mentoring is a relationship based on trust.
If you would like to change the life of a child and become a mentor, contact Alicia Gatling, COMPASS Project Director at (910) 528-0983 or alicia@cismoore.org.
