Bill Text: CA SCR5 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Mentoring Month.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-08-26 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Res. Chapter 139, Statutes of 2015. [SCR5 Detail]
Download: California-2015-SCR5-Chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: SCR 5 CHAPTERED BILL TEXT RESOLUTION CHAPTER 139 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE AUGUST 26, 2015 ADOPTED IN SENATE FEBRUARY 9, 2015 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 20, 2015 INTRODUCED BY Senator Gaines JANUARY 6, 2015 Relative to Mentoring Month. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SCR 5, Gaines. Mentoring Month. This measure would designate the month of January 2015 as Mentoring Month, and would call on public officials, business and community leaders, and educators to observe the month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs in order to accomplish specified objectives recognizing the importance of mentoring and promoting the creation and expansion of mentorship programs. WHEREAS, In 2002, the Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership created the National Mentoring Month campaign, held annually each January, to raise awareness of mentoring, to recruit individuals to mentor, and to promote the growth of mentoring by encouraging organizations to facilitate employee involvement in quality mentoring; and WHEREAS, A mentor provides a caring and consistent presence and devotes time to help a mentee discover personal strength and achieve full potential through a structured and trusting relationship; and WHEREAS, Quality mentoring encourages positive choices, promotes self-esteem, supports academic achievement, and introduces young people to new ideas; and WHEREAS, Mentoring programs are effective in combating school violence, discipline problems, substance abuse, incarceration, and truancy; and WHEREAS, Research shows that a young person who is at risk for not completing high school but who has a mentor is 55 percent more likely to enroll in college, 81 percent more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities, more than twice as likely to report holding a leadership position in a club or sports team, and 78 percent more likely to volunteer regularly in the community; and WHEREAS, Youth development experts agree that mentoring is critical to the social, emotional, and cognitive development of a young person and to, helping that person successfully navigate the path to adulthood; and WHEREAS, A mentor helps a young person set career goals and uses personal contacts to help that young person develop professional relationships and find a job; and WHEREAS, Mentoring is a proven cost-effective investment-- for every $1 invested in mentoring, there is a $3 return to society; and WHEREAS, The benefits of mentoring serve to link youth to economic opportunity and strengthen the fiber of communities; and WHEREAS, Despite these benefits, one in three young people will reach 19 years of age without a mentor, creating a "mentor gap" that demonstrates a need for collaboration and resources; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares the month of January 2015 as Mentoring Month; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature calls on public officials, business and community leaders, and educators to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs in order to accomplish the following: (a) Recognize the people who serve as staff and volunteers at quality mentoring programs and who help young people find inner strength and reach their full potential. (b) Acknowledge that mentoring is beneficial because it encourages educational achievement, reduces juvenile delinquency, improves life outcomes, and strengthens communities. (c) Promote the creation and expansion of quality mentoring programs across the country to equip young people with the tools needed to lead healthy and productive lives. (d) Support initiatives to close the mentoring gap; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.