January is National Mentoring Month. Here are volunteer opportunities in Charlotte
January is National Mentoring Month, when organizations in Charlotte and around the country celebrate folks taking time to provide support and guidance to young people and look to encourage more people to volunteer.
If you’re looking to become a mentor, there are plenty of ways to get involved.
Do you know of other mentoring opportunities in the Charlotte area? Share those details with Observer reporter Mary Ramsey at mramsey@charlotteobserver.com, and we’ll continue to update this story.
What is National Mentoring Month?
National Mentoring Month was created by MENTOR, a nonprofit organization that promotes mentoring and especially equity and diversity in mentoring.
The month-long event, held in January, is a “celebration of mentoring,” the organization says, that “uses the power of our collective voice to recruit new mentors, advance the mentoring field’s legislative priorities, and drive meaningful change for young people.”
In Charlotte, the month is recognized by the Mayor’s Mentoring Alliance.
The first National Mentoring Month was declared in 2002, and many U.S. presidents have issued proclamations recognizing the event during their time in office.
“During National Mentoring Month, we honor all those parents and family members, teachers and coaches, employers and co-workers, community and faith leaders, and so many others who devote time, care, and energy to helping our young people thrive,” President Joe Biden said in his 2022 proclamation.
Mentoring opportunities in Charlotte
If you’re looking to become a mentor, there are a variety of options in the Charlotte area:
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas pairs “Bigs,” or mentors, with “Littles,” or kids in their community ranging in age from 7 to 14.
The Girl Talk Foundation provides “character-building programs,” including mentoring, to young women in middle and high school.
100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte, Inc.’s program focuses primarily on providing mentoring to African American young people.
The Boys to Men Foundation’s mentor program matches high school students with “practicing professionals” to provide, among other support, career advice.
The Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Charlotte chapter offers a mentor program that connects folks working in philanthropy with others more experienced in the field.
Promise Youth Development provides “community-based mentoring” to young people ages 8 to 18 through weekly sessions.
Congregations for Kids offers a mentoring program for kids and teens in the Charlotte area who are in foster care.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools partners with the ACE Mentor Program of Charlotte to connect high school students with interests in architecture, construction and engineering with folks working in those fields.
Pink Mentor Network provides mentoring opportunities from women, especially for those looking for guidance in areas such as professional development and leadership.
MENTOR also offers a database of mentoring opportunities across the country, with the ability to narrow your search based on where you live and what you’re interested in doing.
Locally, the Mayor’s Mentoring Alliance, MeckEd and the Mecklenburg County Youth Coalition offer a “community locator” for finding both opportunities for mentorship and other activities for young people.
This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 7:11 PM.
