RESEARCH HAS SHOWN that young people who have a mentor have better school attendance, are more likely to enroll in college, are more likely to participate in extracurricular activities and therefore avoid risky behavior. However, one in three young people are growing up without a mentor outside their family. “If kids do things that are damaging to themselves and to others, it is typically because they don’t have a sense of positive belonging,” “Mentoring creates a positive relationship and a network of support that can prevent these harmful incidents and promote positive behaviors and achievement – mentoring. org