Vermont mentoring programs joined forces during the 2022 Capitol Hill Day today to speak to Vermont legislators about the critical role mentoring programs play in wrap-around services that help youth survive and thrive.
With support from MENTOR National and Mentor Vermont, Girls/Boyz First Mentoring joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of Vermont, the DREAM Program and other mentoring programs from around the state for a day of virtual meetings with staffers from the offices of Senator Patrick Leahy and Senator Bernie Sanders.
Essential federal funding for mentoring in Vermont comes through a single line item in the federal budget through an OJJDP grant (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention). This year and next, we hope to see an expansion over previous funding levels to help mentoring programs better serve children and communities in need during and after the Covid19 pandemic.
Vermont Mentoring Programs met with Sander’s Senior Policy Advisor on Education and Children and Outreach Representatives
Recent surveys show:
*1 in 3 children grow up without a mentor in their lives
*Only 39% of youth report that they have an adult they can turn to when feeling stressed
*Mentoring is one of few prevention and intervention strategies that address multiple risk and protective factors simultaneously
* There is strong bipartisan public support for mentoring: 83% of Americans support mentoring
We are so grateful to have legislators who are so supportive of mentoring, children and all the communities in our big little state!
