BILL NUMBER: SCR 5	CHAPTERED
	BILL TEXT

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER  139
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  AUGUST 26, 2015
	ADOPTED IN SENATE  FEBRUARY 9, 2015
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 20, 2015

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Gaines

                        JANUARY 6, 2015

   Relative to Mentoring Month.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 5, Gaines. Mentoring Month.
   This measure would designate the month of January 2015 as
Mentoring Month, and would call on public officials, business and
community leaders, and educators to observe the month with
appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs in order to
accomplish specified objectives recognizing the importance of
mentoring and promoting the creation and expansion of mentorship
programs.



   WHEREAS, In 2002, the Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR:
The National Mentoring Partnership created the National Mentoring
Month campaign, held annually each January, to raise awareness of
mentoring, to recruit individuals to mentor, and to promote the
growth of mentoring by encouraging organizations to facilitate
employee involvement in quality mentoring; and
   WHEREAS, A mentor provides a caring and consistent presence and
devotes time to help a mentee discover personal strength and achieve
full potential through a structured and trusting relationship; and
   WHEREAS, Quality mentoring encourages positive choices, promotes
self-esteem, supports academic achievement, and introduces young
people to new ideas; and
   WHEREAS, Mentoring programs are effective in combating school
violence, discipline problems, substance abuse, incarceration, and
truancy; and
   WHEREAS, Research shows that a young person who is at risk for not
completing high school but who has a mentor is 55 percent more
likely to enroll in college, 81 percent more likely to report
participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities, more
than twice as likely to report holding a leadership position in a
club or sports team, and 78 percent more likely to volunteer
regularly in the community; and
   WHEREAS, Youth development experts agree that mentoring is
critical to the social, emotional, and cognitive development of a
young person and to, helping that person successfully navigate the
path to adulthood; and
   WHEREAS, A mentor helps a young person set career goals and uses
personal contacts to help that young person develop professional
relationships and find a job; and
   WHEREAS, Mentoring is a proven cost-effective investment-- for
every $1 invested in mentoring, there is a $3 return to society; and
   WHEREAS, The benefits of mentoring serve to link youth to economic
opportunity and strengthen the fiber of communities; and
   WHEREAS, Despite these benefits, one in three young people will
reach 19 years of age without a mentor, creating a "mentor gap" that
demonstrates a need for collaboration and resources; now, therefore,
be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares the month of
January 2015 as Mentoring Month; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Legislature calls on public officials, business
and community leaders, and educators to observe this month with
appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs in order to
accomplish the following:
   (a) Recognize the people who serve as staff and volunteers at
quality mentoring programs and who help young people find inner
strength and reach their full potential.
   (b) Acknowledge that mentoring is beneficial because it encourages
educational achievement, reduces juvenile delinquency, improves life
outcomes, and strengthens communities.
   (c) Promote the creation and expansion of quality mentoring
programs across the country to equip young people with the tools
needed to lead healthy and productive lives.
   (d) Support initiatives to close the mentoring gap; and be it
further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.