Warren Christoper

"Importance of Mentorship:  Choices…Changes… Challenges"

By Warren Christopher

Humbly, respectfully and passionately, I ask you to become a mentor. Mentorship is vitally important to the success of any community, but especially in our community. By linking one arm to the next, we model conduct, pass on the value of responsibility, and in the process, help our youth avoid pitfalls, while creating a path to meaningful employment. Many of our youth are in desperate need of positive role models. Individuals who will help guide and assist them; teaching our children the life skills they need to be successful.

I learned the value of mentorship in the Army, both as an enlisted soldier and as an officer, and have dedicated my life to helping mentor our youth. As a black man, I am sensitive to the needs of our community’s youth. As a man who wants to address the greatest need, I am particularly focused on assisting minority boys and young men. This particular segment of the youth population faces seemingly insurmountable odds in all areas of life. However, we can make a difference. We can achieve a greater future for our youth through partnerships and relationships, through mentorship and through guidance. These positive actions will allow young boys to grow into great leaders and strong men. Today’s youth are faced with the far more choices, changes, and challenges about their future than ever before. We must come together as a community, elect strong leaders with vision and build a stronger future for us all.

Before we move forward, I understand we must look at the current landscape and understand the current indicators. The results do not look good. Studies show boys are more likely than girls to drop out of school at the end of 10th grade with no plans for the future. Nearly 60% of educators see their students struggling with motivation, support or confidence in planning for college. And, most poignantly, about 40% of a teenager’s waking hours are spent without companionship or supervision.

I argue for increased mentorship from my male cohort because I have seen, firsthand, the benefits. A study reported that those in one-on-one mentorship relationships were 46% less likely to begin using illicit drugs; 27% less likely to begin using alcohol; 52% less likely to skip school; 37% less likely to skip a class and 33% less likely to hit someone. The study also stated, “one to one matches are the driving force behind making an impact on children.” Other studies have indicated that mentoring creates a reduction in feelings of depression, strengthens communication skills and helps our children achieve career goals. All of these good things occur as a result of mentorship. But we need to act, act collectively, and act now.

When it comes to mentorship I promise, you will learn as much as you teach, and you will have that sense of accomplishment helping a young individual achieve his or her goal. Before I conclude, however, I would like to address the cost of not mentoring our youth; the School to Prison Pipeline. The NAACP fact sheet on incarceration projects that 1 in 3 African American Males will be incarcerated at one point in his life time. African American males are incarcerated at rates higher than average. African American males are incarcerated in higher rates than the average American for drug violations. The result is an unemployment rate for Black Americans which is twice the national average, fractured families which affects all of us within our communities, and yields a cycle which must be broken.

My friends, I write this article because I know we can change this paradigm. I know we can move our country, our district and our communities forward. We can do this in many ways. Some are through the ballot, and some are through action. Now I call you to action. I call on you to take action within our communities by joining a mentoring program, by reaching out to your child’s friend or by taking the time to ask a young person, “how are you doing?” We can create a better tomorrow, and we can together. So again, I humbly, respectfully and passionately ask you to become a mentor.
 
 

For more information about Christopher Warren:  www.warrenchristopherforcongress.com

Additional articles about Warren Christopher in Copa Style Magazine:
Part 1: http://www.copastyle.com/warren-christopher-pt-1.html
Part 2: http://www.copastyle.com/warren-christopher-pt2.html
Part 3: http://www.copastyle.com/warren-christopher-pt3.html
Part 4: http://www.copastyle.com/warren-christopher-part-4.html

~Copa