We often hear the saying that children are our future. But what happens when children take the troubled path, succumbing to crime, drug addiction or self-destruction? Many of today’s youth grow up without a consistent parent or caring adult to help guide and shape them throughout life.
Mentoring—which matches youth or “mentees” with responsible, caring “mentors,” usually adults—has been growing in popularity as both a prevention and intervention strategy over the past decades.
We have included information about mentoring as a tool for children to prevent substance use, how events in childhood can affect a child into adulthood, and how mentors impact the youth in our communities.