The Benefits of Teen Mentoring
Peer Mentors Can Help Prevent Smoking & Drug Addictions in Teenagers
The benefits of teen mentoring include more self-confidence and higher self-esteem. Research shows that peer mentors help prevent smoking, depression and addictions.
If teens never start smoking, they never have to struggle to quit smoking. If they never get depressed - or get treated for depression early - then they'll be less likely to make bad choices or give up on life.
The Benefits of Teen Mentoring: Why Peer Mentors Are Necessary
Five million American teens will die early – before they turn 17 years old – from tobacco-related causes. By 2015, it is thought that smoking will kill 50% more people than HIV/AIDS does.
Quitting smoking (or never starting in the first place) is just one benefit of teen mentoring. Other benefits include not having sex too soon and not experimenting with drugs. Peer mentors can also help reduce unwanted pregnancies and increase university admission rates.
The Benefits of Teen Mentoring: What Is a Teen Mentor?
Many mentoring relationships exist between adults and younger people, though peer mentors or teen mentors are effective. A teen mentor or peer mentor is a friendly advisor – more friend than counselor, depending on the mentoring relationship.
Teen mentors help with specific problems, ranging from drug addictions to poor study habits. Simply hanging out with a teen mentor, such as playing basketball or going for a soda, can increase the benefits of mentoring relationships. Peer mentors don’t have to be serious all the time, nor should they lecture. Peer mentors simply have to be there to provide positive support and role modeling.
The Benefits of Teen Mentoring: What the Research Shows
The benefits of teen mentoring include higher self-esteem and more self-confidence because mentors give teens courage. It’s difficult to “just say no” or walk away from peer pressure; with a teen mentor, kids have their own support system. Research about the benefits of teen mentoring shows that teens are more comfortable saying no to experimenting with smoking or doing drugs, even when other teens are succumbing to peer pressure.
Research shows that teen mentoring helps kids at risk. Even if a bad habit already exists, such as smoking, teen mentoring helps with quitting smoking. The teens in one peer mentoring study readily admitted that a mentor would help them quit smoking.
Teen mentors also help fight against psychological bullying.
The Benefits of Teen Mentoring: How Do You Find a Teen Mentor?
Teen mentors may be assigned from a specific group, such as peer mentors at school. Teen mentors can come from non-profit organizations or local programs. Teen mentoring relationships may also arise naturally from school sports, academic clubs or volunteer experiences.
If you found The Benefits of Teen Mentoring: Peer Mentors Can Help Prevent Smoking helpful, try:
