We need more mentors in Miami. Black men, especially, can make a difference | Guest Opinion

A new study underscores the need for mentoring programs to help youths deal with a new set of stresses and stay on track for success in a post-pandemic world.

The findings, released by the National Mentoring Research Center, timed for National Mentoring Month, confirm that, “Self-control, social skills, grit, self-advocacy, hopeful future expectations, parental use of inconsistent discipline, family functioning, school engagement and college exploration” were significantly higher in youths who participated in Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring programs than those who did not.

The study offers new evidence that mentoring programs are increasingly critical to promoting positive development and resilience among youths, their families and, by extension, our community in a post-pandemic era. Findings like these continue to validate our mission and continued growth and expansion, which most recently included opening our first program in Monroe County: Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Florida Keys.

There is no question that mentoring brings transformative positive value for all involved — mentors and mentees alike. In the corporate arena, mentoring programs help increase employee satisfaction, engagement and retention.

So, what’s missing as we recognize National Mentoring Month this January and look ahead into 2023? We serve the largest school district in Florida and the fourth largest in the United States — more than 450,000 youth.

The need is great to match youth who are eager to learn and grow with a Big Brother or Big Sister. With a growing roster of donors and School to Work partners across a spectrum of industries, what’s most needed is more mentors — particularly Black men.

Recognizing this, we are issuing a call to action to our community to help us elevate awareness of this gap and recruit more Black men as mentors. At a minimum, we would like to add 300 men collectively at our Miami and Florida Keys programs. More information about mentoring opportunities, along with a copy of the recent findings released by the National Mentoring Research Center, is available at www.bbbsmiami.org

As we have learned, the very presence of a man with whom a boy can personally identify significantly increases his confidence academically and socially and supports a more positive outlook for the future.

Gale S. Nelson is president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Florida Keys.

This story was originally published January 9, 2023 at 2:30 PM.