(Boston, MA, Tuesday, January 18, 2022) – More than 167,000 children in the U.S. have lost a parent or caregiver due to COVID-19.

Over the last year and a half, many young people’s webs of support have been seriously weakened as they’ve experienced disconnection and, for some, trauma and loss. Many were cut off from key sources of connection as schools went virtual and extracurricular activities were cancelled. If we are to address the mental health crisis, we have to address this disconnection and the trauma it’s caused.

In the most recent YouthTruth survey on well-being during COVID-19, less than half of the 207,000 students polled reported feeling connected to their school community. Forty-nine percent reported feeling depressed, stressed, or anxious at a level that affects their learning; only 39% say there is an adult available at school to talk to when they are stressed; and 16% say they have no adult to help them with their schoolwork.

The youth mental health crisis is, at its core, a crisis of connection. That’s why our collective response to this crisis must take a relationships-first approach. We need a national effort, among schools, community organizations, and policymakers, and individuals, to ensure every young person has a stable, supportive, and healthy relationship with a peer or adult.

Young people who have a mentor are much more likely to participate in after-school activities, be leaders in clubs and teams, volunteer and go on to college – in other words, to do things that help them grow up to be thriving adults.

Every January, the mentoring movement unites for National Mentoring Month, an annual campaign aimed at expanding quality mentoring opportunities to connect more of our community’s young people with caring adults.

National Mentoring Month focuses national attention on the need for mentors, as well as how each of us – individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith communities, and nonprofits – can work together to increase the number of mentors to help ensure positive outcomes for young people.

MENTOR is the unifying champion for expanding the quality and quantity of mentoring relationships across the United States. 30 years ago, MENTOR was created to expand  opportunities for young people by building a youth mentoring field and movement. The result: a more than 10-fold increase in young people in structured mentoring relationships. Today, MENTOR is the expert voice representing a movement that meets young people everywhere they are – from schools, to workplaces and beyond.

MENTOR operates in collaboration with local Affiliates across the country including an Affiliate in your area. For more information, visit mentoring.org.