January is for Mentors and for Possibility

by Tami Silverman, President & CEO of Indiana Youth Institute

January invites reflection and renewal. The new year opens before us, full of possibility, hope, and resolve. Fittingly, January also is National Mentoring Month, a time to recognize the power of relationships and the powerful impact caring adults can have in a young person’s life.

At Indiana Youth Institute, this month carries special meaning. IYI is home to MENTOR Indiana, the state’s leader for quality youth mentoring and Indiana’s affiliate of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership. In this national network, we work toward a simple but vital goal of helping young people reach their full potential through supportive, consistent relationships with caring adults.

The data on mentoring demonstrates their positive effects on individual mentees. Decades of research show that such relationships are associated with improved outcomes across education, mental health, civic engagement, and long-term well-being.

Young people with mentors are:

• 55% more likely to enroll in college.
• 81% more likely to participate regularly in extracurricular activities.
• 78% more likely to volunteer in their communities.
• More than twice as likely to hold leadership roles in clubs or sports.

Young people engaged in quality mentoring relationships also report fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, stronger interpersonal skills, and a greater sense of belonging. Adults who received mentoring as youth often point to those relationships as critical to their later success, with many citing lasting benefits in their education, career pathways, and overall well-being.

Despite these well-documented benefits, access to mentoring is far from universal. One in three young people in the United States grows up without a mentor outside their family. That gap represents millions of children and adolescents who could benefit from having such a trusted adult in their lives, but do not yet have that support.

Public support for mentoring is strong and growing:

• Nearly 9 in 10 Americans believe more mentoring is needed in this country.
• More than 8 in 10 support government investment in mentoring programs.
• 90% of young people who have been mentored express interest in becoming mentors themselves.

Closing the mentoring gap requires more than goodwill. Quality and commitment matters. Mentoring is most effective when programs are intentional, well-supported, and grounded in evidence-based practices. Through MENTOR Indiana, IYI supports mentoring programs across the state in aligning with proven standards that emphasize safety, consistency, training, and ongoing support for both mentors and mentees. Strong infrastructure ensures that mentoring relationships are not only meaningful but also sustainable.

This season also marks an important milestone for IYI’s commitment to youth development with our launch of FIVE by 50, a long-term vision to ensure that every child in Indiana is connected to at least five caring adults by the year 2050. Research tells us what many families already know: no single relationship can meet every need, but a network of supportive adults can fundamentally change a child’s trajectory.

Mentors are well-suited to be central to those networks. They may be one of the five, or the relationship that opens the door to others. They listen, encourage, and show up. In doing so, they help young people build confidence, resilience, and trust in themselves and in the world around them.

At the heart of FIVE by 50 is a clear understanding that mentoring is one of the most tangible and proven ways to turn this vision into action. It reminds us that meaningful change does not always require complex solutions. Often, it begins with a relationship.

National Mentoring Month is a time to celebrate the mentors already making a difference and to invite more adults to step forward. Volunteering, supporting a local mentoring program, advocating for continued investment, or encouraging someone else to get involved all help strengthen the web of support around Indiana’s young people.

As we begin a new year, let us commit together to building a state where every child knows they matter, where supportive relationships are the norm rather than the exception, and where mentors are supported and recognized as essential partners in helping young people thrive.

January reminds us that possibility is not abstract. It is built one relationship at a time.

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