Supporting the goals and ideals of National Mentoring Month.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 46) supporting the goals and ideals of National Mentoring Month.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 46.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the recent elections that we had here in the United States indicate that many people were concerned about ``values'' in this kind of a loose term, and it seems like much of this concern is directed at a perceived erosion of our culture. A good amount of the data that we have uncovered would indicate that this concern certainly has merit.

For example, nearly one half of our young people are growing up without both biological parents today. So roughly one-half of our young people have experienced some significant trauma in their lives because losing a biological parent is difficult for anyone.

More than 20 million children are fatherless in our country, and usually when they have no father, whether they are a young man or woman, they try to fill this void with activities which ofttimes are harmful, maybe gangs, drugs, promiscuity, whatever.

A significant number of our children are involved in alcohol and drug abuse. Roughly 3 million young people in their teenage years currently are addicted to alcohol. That is 3 million. And hundreds of thousands, of course, are addicted to other substance abuse.

Promiscuity, teen pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases have become a major problem. The out-of-wedlock birthrate has increased from 5 percent in 1960 to 33 percent today. I observed a great deal of this growing dysfunction during my 36 years as a coach where I worked with young people, and I guess it is my premise that this unraveling of the culture may pose a greater long-term threat to our Nation than terrorism.

That sounds like an overblown statement, but I believe it to be true because if we think about some of the great nations of the world throughout history, whether it be Rome, the British Empire, the Soviet Union, many of those great empires simply disappeared without a shot being fired.

So what can we do? We certainly cannot legislate strong families, but we can promote mentoring. Mentoring works. Research shows many of the following to be true: Number one, mentoring improves academic performance. Children in good mentoring relationships have better attendance in school. The mentoring program that I am involved with personally has shown an 80 percent decrease in absenteeism from school, better graduation rates, fewer disciplinary referrals. Again, the mentoring program that I am involved with has shown a 70 percent reduction in referrals for discipline. Better grades, 40 percent better grades.

Secondly, mentoring reduces high-risk behavior, reduces smoking, drug and alcohol abuse, in some cases by as much as 50 percent. Promiscuous behavior is reduced, and violent and criminal behavior also begin to be diminished.

Mentoring enhances a number of social factors. It improves self- esteem. Relationships with peers and parents improve. Personal hygiene also is improved.

So a mentor is, I guess, three things to me: Number one, a mentor is someone who cares. I talked to a mentor not long ago who showed up in school and was going to mentor this young guy, and he came to class and there was one student sitting there, his mentee, and the teacher. And he asked the young guy what was going on, and he said there was a field trip that day and they were going to a bowling alley and this young guy stayed because he knew his mentor was coming, and that mentor was probably the only adult in his life who really connected with him and cared about him. So a mentor is someone who cares.

Secondly, a mentor is someone who affirms. And I noticed that it was so important in coaching if one told a player that they believed in him, if they affirmed his behavior, they said they thought he had a future, ofttimes he would grow into that which he did not even know himself that he could become. So affirmation is something that nobody can live without for any length of time.

And then, thirdly, mentoring provides a vision. So many young people have never seen an adult in their family who gets up and goes to work every day, or maybe someone in their family who keeps their word and has a good work ethic. So a role model, a vision, is important.

Roughly 17 million children in the United States at the present time either need or want a mentor. We have roughly 2.5 million mentors that are provided. So we are about 15 million short. So we spend billions of dollars on prisons and drugs and alcohol abuse. Roughly $50 billion a year is spent on underage drinking and its dysfunction. We spend money on foster care and crime, but little on prevention. Usually about 2 to 3 percent of the State and Federal budget is spent on prevention such as mentoring.

Mentoring works. There is a great mentoring program here in the House called Horton's Kids. Four members of my staff are mentors, and we appreciate that very much.

So I urge support of H. Res. 46, which recognizes and encourages mentoring.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for his kind words.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, a strong supporter of mentoring.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my thanks to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and also the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis) for their kind words and their support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Nebraska for his leadership in bringing this resolution, recognizing National Mentoring Month, to the floor today; and also want to commend the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Boehner) and the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller of California), ranking member, for their leadership roles in making this legislation possible to be heard.

Since coming to Congress, the gentleman from Nebraska has worked to make youth issues a national priority, and this resolution is another example of his dedication to this effort.

Without a doubt, Mr. Speaker, mentoring is a proven strategy that can change the lives of children and youth, and I might add, add value to the lives of those who provide the mentoring service.

When a young person is matched with a caring, responsible individual, this relationship often makes a positive difference in the quality of life for that young person. For too long we have focused on providing remedies to problems that only address negative behavior, rather than looking at ways to promote the positive and healthy development of our young people. This resolution directs us to focus on what children need in order to grow into healthy, safe, and well-educated adults, making sure that children have access to a caring and responsible adult relationship.

A recent report from the Greater West Town Community Development Project showed that nearly 18 percent of Chicago public school students drop out. Another report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation showed that more than 200 Chicago-area children are living in severely distressed neighborhoods. These are among the tens of thousands of Chicago area youth who could dramatically benefit from having a mentor, since without one, some would never be exposed to healthy, productive lifestyles and the development of real-life skills. Research shows that young people who are mentored had a stronger attachment to school, have higher graduation rates, and decreased involvement with drugs and violence.

Mentoring opens young people's eyes to a brighter future, and every young person deserves that opportunity. But right now there are simply not enough mentors to go around. Only about 1,000 of the more than 1 million school-age children in the Chicago area are fortunate enough to have a mentor. A mentor, of course, is an adult, who along with parents, provides young people with support counsel, friendship, and a constructive example. The average mentor spends 8 to 10 hours a month with his or her mentee on activities such as doing homework, going to the library, playing in the park, and playing sports.

This resolution brings much-needed attention to the value of mentoring and encourages communities to focus their efforts on recruiting more mentors so that we can fill the gap that currently exists. I am proud of the many mentoring programs that are already in place in the Chicagoland area, such as Mercy Home's Friends First Program and Sinai Mentoring Program, which links Mount Sinai Hospital professionals with youth from North and South Lawndale High Schools.

I also congratulate Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago, which is spearheading a number of local events to mark National Mentoring Month. It has partnered with organizations, including Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, Community Resource Network, Cook County Juvenile Court Mentoring Network, Horizons For Youth, the Jewish Children's Bureau, Lifelink Latino Special Services Program, Mercy Home For Boys and Girls, and Uhlich Children's Advantage Network and Working in Schools.

I also want to commend the Chicago public school system, the board of education, for the development of a program called Cradle to the Classroom,

where they had mentors who worked individually with young parents and students who had become pregnant and who had children and yet have been able to finish their high school education and graduate with the help of a mentor.

In Chicago and across the country, it is clear that the framework is in place. Now we just need more people to volunteer their time and help change the life of a child.

I am very pleased to be associated with many groups and organizations like the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, which has a great national mentoring program, and especially my local chapter, Mu Mu Lambda. I am also pleased to be associated with the 100 Black Men of America, who have mentoring programs and chapters throughout the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, once again I want to commend the gentleman from Nebraska for his insight, dedication, and continuous work with the development of the young people, as expressed in this resolution. I urge strong support for it.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), my colleague on the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis), a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and I also say a member of the Davis Caucus.

(Mrs. DAVIS of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I simply would want to thank all of those who have spoken on behalf of this resolution. Again, I commend the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) for his leadership, and would urge all adults who want to be helpful to become mentors.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, as one of the co-chairs of the Mentoring Caucus, I rise today in support of House Resolution 46, to express the sense of Congress and the House of Representatives regarding the many benefits of mentoring.

Mentoring programs, as we are talking about them here today, link children with caring, responsible adults to provide opportunities for young people to develop strong character and new capabilities. Mentoring opportunities are a proven method, as has been pointed out, to help children who may be struggling in school or at home or just in life. We need to take advantage of mentoring opportunities to allow every child to become self-sufficient, have better self-esteem, and feel that they too can achieve the American Dream.

In my own state of Minnesota, there are over 350 mentoring programs that connect youth with positive role models. One valuable mentoring program is Big Brothers Big Sisters. In the St. Paul/Minneapolis region alone, more than 2,000 children benefit from this mentoring program. In 2005, they hope to reach 5,000 children.

Sergeant Mamie Singleton, of the St. Paul Police Department and founder of Youth Initiative Mentoring Academies, is one example of many in Minnesota who in her spare time mentors youth. Youth Initiative Mentoring Academies is a non-profit organization for at-risk youth that utilizes a mentoring model through aviation education. I cannot tell you how proud I am when I go to their gradation day and each and every one of those children receives a certificate for their aviation education and for their civic education projects. It is a special time for the mentors as well, as they witness their generous gifts of time and hard work payoff for these children.

Mentors make a difference, for a mentor can be a friend, a listener, a coach, a tutor, or just a confidante. A mentor is simply a person who cares enough to be a good listener at times and to offer the opportunity to open new doors and new worlds by offering encouragement and support along the way.

I encourage all of my colleagues to support this resolution, and to look for opportunities for Members to be mentors themselves. As the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) pointed out, many of our staff are mentors. J.D. Burton, who recently left my staff, was a mentor for Horton's Kids. He tutored for 3 years, and, at times, we worked our schedule around his mentoring schedule. I have many others in my office who are also mentors, and each and every one of them says that they get more out of the opportunity of mentoring than they could ever imagine.

I would also like to thank the sponsor of this bill, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), for, you see, his family comes from a mentoring background. His cousin, the Honorable Kathleen Vellenga, took time to be a mentor of mine when I was in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Mentoring--you never know where it might lead you.

Mr. Speaker, as one of the co-chairs of the Mentoring Caucus, I rise today in support of House Resolution 46, to express the sense of Congress and the House of Representatives regarding the many benefits of mentoring.

Mentoring programs, as we are talking about them here today, link children with caring, responsible adults to provide opportunities for young people to develop strong character and new capabilities. Mentoring opportunities are a proven method, as has been pointed out, to help children who may be struggling in school or at home or just in life. We need to take advantage of mentoring opportunities to allow every child to become self-sufficient, have better self-esteem, and feel that they too can achieve the American Dream.

In my own State of Minnesota, there are over 350 mentoring programs. They connect youth with positive role models. In Minnesota, in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area, we have Big Brothers and Big Sisters. In that two-city area alone, 2,000 children benefit from mentoring programs; and in 2005, Big Brothers and Big Sisters in St. Paul-Minneapolis hope to reach 5,000 children.

There is a St. Paul police officer, and she in her spare time mentors youth. She does so because she has the help of a local church in which to meet. I cannot tell you how proud I am when I go to graduation day and each and every one of those children receives a certificate, but she always remembers to give a certificate to the adults who mentor.

Mentors make a difference, for a mentor can be a friend, a listener, a coach, a tutor, or just a confidante. A mentor is simply a person who cares enough to be a good listener at times and to offer the opportunity to open new doors and new worlds by offering encouragement and support along the way.

I encourage all of my colleagues to support this resolution, and I look for opportunities for Members to be mentors themselves. As the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) pointed out, many of our staff are mentors. J.D. Burton, who recently left my staff, was a mentor for Thorton's Kids. He tutored for 3 years, and we worked at times our schedule around his mentoring schedule. I have many others in my office who are also mentors, and each and every one of them says that they get more out of the opportunity of mentoring than they could ever imagine.

I would also like to thank the sponsor of this bill, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), for, you see, his family comes from a mentoring background. His cousin, the Honorable Kathleen Vellenga, took time to be a mentor of mine when I was in the Minnesota House of Representatives mentoring. You never know where it might lead you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for H. Res. 46, supporting the goals and ideals of National Mentoring Month.

All children have the potential to succeed in life and contribute to society. However, not all children get the support they need to thrive. Mentoring is the presence of caring individuals who, along with parents or guardians, provide young people with support, advice, friendship, reinforcement and constructive examples. Mentoring can and does help young people succeed, no matter what their circumstances!

A mentor is a caring adult friend who devotes time to a young person. Mentors can fill any number of different roles. Yet all mentors have one thing in common: they care about helping young people achieve their potential and discover their strengths.

Mentors understand they are not meant to replace the role of a parent, guardian or teacher. A mentor is not a disciplinarian or decision maker for a child. Instead, a mentor echoes the positive values and cultural heritage parents and guardians are teaching. A mentor is part of a team of caring adults.

A mentor's main purpose is to help a young person define and achieve their own goals. And those goals will vary, depending on the young person's age. Since the expectations of each child will vary, it is the mentor's job to encourage the development of a flexible relationship that responds to the mentor's skills and interests and the young person's needs.

Recent Research Brief published by Child Trends and titled, ``Mentoring: A Promising Strategy for Youth Development,'' found that youth who participate in mentoring relationships experience a number of positive benefits. In terms of educational achievement, mentored youth have better attendance; a better chance of going on to higher education; and better attitudes towards school. In terms of health and safety, mentoring appears to help prevent substance abuse and reduce some negative youth behaviors. On the social and emotional development front, taking part in mentoring promotes positive social attitudes and relationships. Mentored youth tend to trust their parents more and communicate better with them. They also feel they get more emotional support from their friends than do youth who are not mentored.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to reiterate my support for H. Res. 46. By sharing fun activities and exposing a youth to new experiences, a mentor encourages positive choices, promotes high self-esteem, supports academic achievement and introduces the child to new ideas.