Mentoring and COVID
COVID-19 has changed the face of mentoring for young people. In order to continue to provide needed services, mentoring programs have had to adapt to serve youth, families, and communities over the last year. These changes in mentoring also reflect profound changes to our communities at-large. The pandemic has laid bare gaping holes in our social safety net and healthcare systems as well as deep inequities throughout our society, and mentor programs have swung into action to address these intensified needs.
In 2023, CMP launched a groundbreaking study of the impact of COVID on the California mentoring community. Outcomes of the study show that mentoring programs have had to shift and change to meet changing needs.
- 36% of programs reported an increase in mentored youth that received supportive services during COVID and 52% shifted services to include support for basic needs (food and shelter).
- 51% of programs reported that some families experienced homelessness.
- 63% of programs saw an increase in collaboration between mentors and parents.
We invite you to use this info graphic as a tool for outreach, engagement, advocacy, and funding opportunities to make the case for mentoring in your community.
Download the Info Graphic
