Agenda for Action

The National Agenda for Action:
How to Close America's Mentoring Gap

Youth development experts now agree that mentoring is a critical element in any child's social, emotional and cognitive development. It builds a sense of industry and competency, boost academic performance and broadens horizons.

Today, thanks to the commitment and dedication of mentoring advocates, 3 million young Americans are now enjoying mentoring's many benefits. That's a six-fold increase in formal mentoring relationships since the national mentoring movement galvanized the nation in the early 1990s. It's an impressive accomplishment. But, 15 million more young people who need mentors are awaiting their turn. They make up our nation's mentoring gap.

The National Agenda for Action was created to rectify this situation. It represents a comprehensive roadmap detailing the realistic steps necessary to bring the power of mentoring to all the young people of our nation who need mentors. As the product of an 18-month national conversation on mentoring, the agenda incorporates the input of hundreds of individuals representing every aspect of the mentoring field. Its recommendations were crafted by an exceptional group of leaders.

The National Agenda for Action is an actionable plan designed to overcome the impediments to growth and close the mentoring gap. It identifies 21 action items focused on five strategic solutions:

Generate adequate and sustainable funding;
Foster a culture of mentoring;
Safeguard program quality;
Elevate the role of research; and
Build necessary infrastructure.

Regardless of your background, professional position or area of expertise, you have a role to play in the future of mentoring. If each one of us challenges him/herself to take action, we can change the future for an entire generation of young people.

Clearly, it will require an extraordinary commitment of resources and effort to realize this goal. But considering that the lives of millions of young people and the future vitality of our nation are at stake, that commitment of resources and effort seems not only feasible, but essential.

Pragmatists will correctly point out that even if it takes several years – or decades – to achieve the movement's ultimate goal, a growing number of young people will have their lives transformed along the way. Let's begin the transformation now. Read this agenda, study it and consider what you can do. Then, act.

With your help, we can create "a mentored America," where no young person would feel that he or she faced the challenges of growing up alone. In a mentored America, the encouragement, support and guidance of a trusted adult would help steer young people through the challenges and toward their true potential. The journey would still be difficult for many; but in a mentored America, it would be a journey of hope, and a journey that would lead to a brighter future for millions of young people.

The plan of action is in all of our hands. The time to act on it is now. Please join us.

The National Agenda for Action

Agenda for Action

The National Agenda for Action: How to Close America's Mentoring Gap

The National Agenda for Action:
How to Close America's Mentoring Gap