Mentoring Inquiries Surge After Baltimore Riots

Please don't start mentoring unless you are committed. It can lead to the even worse outcomes than no mentoring, because it's another rejection.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/02/mentoring-baltimore-big-brothers-big-sisters_n_7193072.html

Julia Craven
May 2, 2015

Riot-torn Baltimore's smoky skies have given way to a silver lining.

More than 300 inquiries about mentoring young people have poured into Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Chesapeake, the branch of the nonprofit serving the city, from adults interested in working with one of the 600-plus kids on the local waiting list, according to a press release. That compares with 641 inquiries received from Baltimore in all of 2014.

The organization's CEO attributes this week's surge to people watching news of the unrest and feeling compelled to help young people find better ways to express themselves.

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“When you apply to be to be a mentor, you get trained. We do a lot of talking about cultural competency and what to expect and how to listen,” Hickey said. “You know, as an adult sometimes we just need to shut up and listen to what young people are telling us. I don’t think it’s important for an adult to think they have the answers.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters tries to match kids with a mentor from a similar background, but that's not always possible, Hickey said. The organization ensures the mentor is equipped to help their little brother or little sister by assigning a staff member who is available any time for advice.

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Big Brothers Big Sisters said research shows that after 18 months of mentoring, little brothers and little sisters were 46 percent less likely to use illegal drugs, 27 percent less likely to begin using alcohol, 52 percent less likely to skip school and 33 percent less likely to hit someone than children not in the program, according to the organization's press release.

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