Every January is National Mentoring Month—a month designed to raise awareness about the importance of mentors to young people and to encourage more individuals to become mentors.

According to the latest research, mentoring can help young people develop the social and economic opportunities they need. Mentors can also help young people set goals, encourage them to do better, and serve as their allies.

However, this isn’t a professional relationship that benefits only those being mentored. It also benefits the mentors by helping them keep their communication skills sharp and by boosting their feelings of self-worth.

The History of National Mentoring Month

National Mentoring Month was first created in 2002 by the Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR, an organization dedicated to mentoring partnerships. Since the creation of this month, it has united many mentors with young men and women.

Important Facts About Mentoring

Anyone wanting to know more about mentoring will want to read the following facts. We’ve assembled these facts to give people a starting point for their journey toward becoming a mentor.

We feel that mentoring is extremely important, and that’s why we’ve decided to give people as much information as possible on the subject. With that said, let’s take a look at the following points:

• Approximately 90% of people who say they have a career mentor report that they are happy with their jobs.
• Mentees are 500% more likely to be promoted than those who are not being mentored.
• Approximately seven out of ten Fortune 500 companies have a formal mentoring program.
• Over half of businesses feel that mentoring has had a positive effect on their bottom line.
• Only 37% of professionals have a mentor.
• Over half of young professionals state that a workplace mentorship program would make them more likely to stay with a company.
• Approximately 40% of workers without mentors report that they have considered quitting their job in the past 90 days.
• Mentoring programs boost the representation of underrepresented groups by up to 250%.
• About six out of ten small business owners mentor other people.
• Almost nine out of ten CEOs have stated that mentoring has helped them avoid serious mistakes in business.

Observing National Mentoring Month

During this month, people are encouraged to check out mentoring programs to see if they can be of service to a young person. People can also use the hashtag #NationalMentoringMonth to spread the word about this month and to encourage others to advocate for mentoring.