A Step Towards Strengthening Mentoring Ecosystems and Communities in North Carolina
On June 18, 2024 from 9:00 am to 3:00pm, Youth Mentoring Collaborative will be hosting its 2nd Annual Youth Mentoring Legislative Day. This event is a unique opportunity to convene legislators, youth-serving programs, and young people at the NC General Assembly to highlight and celebrate the power of mentoring relationships. We will explore how investing in high-quality mentoring makes our communities and our state stronger by driving impactful relationships that promote the emotional well-being, career exploration, social capital, and overall growth of young people and their ability to move toward the best versions of themselves while making positive contributions to society.
Exceeding last year's record, 20 legislators representing 12 counties have scheduled 15 minute meetings with mentoring practitioners and youth to discuss the importance of mentoring.
With a special thanks to Representative Zack Hawkins, Youth Mentoring Collaborative and community partners are advocating for House Bill 994 to be passed during the 2023 – 2024 legislative session. This bill will do the following:
- Establish an appropriation of one million five hundred dollars ($1,500,000) in recurring funds for the 2024-2025 fiscal year to be used to provide funding and technical assistance to small- to medium-sized mentoring initiatives located in North Carolina
- Create the North Carolina Commission on Youth Mentoring, which will include at least fourteen (14) members from varying stakeholder groups, to oversee a formalized grant application process and to provide thought leadership to increase the general public’s knowledge of the need for mentoring
If passed, this bill will help North Carolina chart the path for what it looks like to intentionally cultivate and invest in a strong network of youth mentoring programs and initiatives that are doing their best work.
For more information about this initiative, contact Sontee Dean at [email protected].