Title
To recognize January as National Mentoring Month in the City of Columbus; celebrating the leadership of Franklin County Children Services (FCCS) and thanking FCCS for its ongoing commitment to improving the lives of young people in Central Ohio.
Body
WHEREAS, National Mentoring Month is a campaign held each January to promote youth mentoring in the United States - it was inaugurated in 2002 and is spearheaded by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Corporation for National and Community Service; and
WHEREAS, relationships with caring mentors offer youth valuable support - guiding them toward making positive, healthy life choices - mentoring programs also offer effective student interventions - improve student attendance and behavior, academic performance, increase High School Graduation rates, and in a significant number of instances culminate in college attendance; and
WHEREAS, youth mentorship programs help young people improve their self-esteem, enhance their relationships with family members and peers - ultimately helping them to feel a greater sense of connectedness with their community and their schools; and
WHEREAS, Franklin County Children Services has been providing volunteer and mentoring services to enrich the lives of children being served in Columbus and Central Ohio for more than 50 years; and
WHEREAS, FCCS mentorship programs provide individuals with support, friendship, and guidance - ultimately helping the youth that are served with building healthy long-term relationships between children and their caregivers; and
WHEREAS, FCCS has a number of mentoring programs serving the youth of our community - they include the SIMBA PROGRAM which is a culturally, gender specific mentoring program for African-American boys and African-American men which provides boys with pathways for leadership and exposure to growth, while fostering community pride - the MALAIKA PROGRAM which is a culturally, gender specific mentoring program fo...
Click here for full text