There’s a mentorship gap in Canada. Here’s how — and why — to close it.
Why It Matters
Young people who are mentored are 53 percent more likely to report good mental health, and more than twice as likely to report a strong sense of belonging in their community. At a time when youths’ mental wellbeing and career prospects are limited by the pandemic, an equitable recovery requires a stronger culture of mentorship across the country.
This story is in partnership with MENTOR Canada.
More than 15,000 young people across Canada want a mentor but can’t find one.
That was a major finding from research on Canada’s mentorship landscape we recently released at MENTOR Canada. And, still, that figure doesn’t account for the tens of thousands of young people who have missed out on mentoring through community involvement, sports teams, extra-curricular activities, co-op programs and job placements because of COVID-19. The pandemic has fractured young people’s connection to informal mentors, many of whom are teachers and coaches, and disrupted their access to formal mentors, since programs suspended their operations or shifted to virtual settings.
If the social sector is going to help youth recover from the pandemic, we need to close the ment
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