Approved as to Form and Legality
City Attorney’s Office
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. _______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMEMBER LOREN TAYLOR
RESOLUTION RECOGNIZI NG JANUARY 2022 AS N ATIONAL
MENTORING MONTH AND UPLIFTING THE CRITIC AL ROLE OF
MENTORS AND ENCOURAG ING POSITIVE MENTORS HIP
PROGRAMS IN THE CITY OF OAKLAND TO ELEVA TE OAKLAND
YOUTH TO ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL
WHEREAS, January 2022 marked the 20th Anniversary of National Mentorin g Month, an annual campaign to focus attention on the need for mentors, as well as how each of us can work together to increase the number of mentors to help ensure positive outcomes for our young people; and
WHEREAS, the goals of National Mentoring Month are to raise awareness of mentoring, recruit individuals to mentor, celebrate the powerful impact of caring adults who volunteer time for the benefit of young people, and encourage organizations to engage and integrat e quality mentoring into the efforts of their organizations; and
WHEREAS, National Mentoring Month celebrates, elevates, and encourage s mentoring across our state and the recruitment of caring adult mentors in Oakland; and
WHERESAS, the City of Oakland honors volunteer mentors who support young people by showing up for them every day and demonstrating their commitment to helping them thrive; and
WHEREAS, mentoring programs like the OK Program, East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC), Youth Uprising, We Lead Ours, Hidden Genius Project, Girls Inc. and many others make our communities and our state stronger by driving impactful relationships that increase social capital for young people and provide invaluable support networks; and
WHEREAS, during the COVID-19 pandemic, mentoring programs have stepped up to fill gaps for young people and families, connecting them with resources and ensuring that mentoring relationships continue virtually to ensure that physical distancing does not mean social disconnection; and
2 WHEREAS, mentoring plays a pivotal role in career exploration and supports workplace skills by helping young people set career goals, equipping mentors with the skills needed to support the professional growth of young people, and driv es positive outcomes for young people and businesses; and
WHEREAS, quality mentoring promotes healthy relationships and communication, positive self-esteem, emotional well-being, and growth of a young person and their relationships with other adults; and
WHEREAS, research shows that young people who were at risk for not completing high school but who had a mentor were, as compared with similarly situate d young people without a mentor are:
(1) 55 percent more likely to be enrolled in college,
(2) 81 percent more likely to report participating regularly in sport s or extracurricular activities,
(3) more than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team,
(4) 78 percent more likely to pay it forward by volunteering regularly in the communities of young people; and
WHEREAS, students who are chronically absent are more likely to fall behind academically, and mentoring can play a role in helping young people attend school regularly, as research shows that students who meet regularly with a mentor are, as compared with the peers of those students are:
(1) 52 percent less likely to skip a full day of school, (2) 37 percent less likely to skip a class; and
WHEREAS, students who meet regularly with their mentors are 46 percent less likely than their peers to start using drugs and 27 percent less likely to start drinking; and
WHEREAS, almost half of today’s young adults report having a mentor in their youth and those rates appear to have been rising steadily over the past several decades; and
WHEREAS, a mentor is a caring, consistent presence who devotes time to a young person to help that young person discover personal strength and achieve the potential of that young person; and
WHEREAS, quality mentoring encourages positive life and social skills, promotes self - esteem, bolsters academic achievement and college access, supports career exploration, and nurtures youth leadership development; and
3 WHEREAS, mentoring happens in various settings, including commu nity-based programs, elementary and secondary schools, colleges, government agencies, religious institutions, and the workplace, and in various ways, including formal mentoring matches and informal relationships with teachers, coaches, neighbors, faith leaders, and others; and
WHEREAS, mentoring programs have been shown to be effective in helping young people make positive choices; and
WHEREAS, youth development experts agree that mentoring encourages positive youth development and smart daily behaviors, such as finishing homework and having healthy social interactions, and has a positive impact on the growth and success of a young person; and
WHEREAS, mentors help young people set career goals and use the personal contacts of the mentors to help young people meet industry professionals and train for and find jobs; and
WHEREAS, despite those described benefits, an estimated 9,000,000 young people in the United States feel isolated from meaningful connections with adults outside the home, constituting a “mentoring gap” that demonstrates a need for collaboration and resources; and
WHEREAS, Black male mentors help to alleviate the opportunity gap and serve to link youth to economic and social opportunity while also strengthening our neighborhoods; and now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That the Council recognizes January 2022 as National Mentoring M onth and uplifts the critical role of mentors and encourages positive mentorship programs in the City of Oakland to elevate Oakland youth to achieve their full potential.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - FIFE, GALLO, KALB, KAPLAN, REID, TAYLOR, THAO AND
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California