Whereas the goals of National Mentoring Month are to raise awareness of and celebrate the powerful impact of mentoring relationships, recruit new mentors, and encourage institutions to integrate quality mentoring into their policies, practices, and programs; Whereas quality mentoring fosters positive life and social skills, promotes self-esteem, bolsters academic achievement and college access, supports career exploration, and nurtures youth leadership development; Whereas mentoring happens in many settings, including community-based programs, elementary and secondary schools, colleges, government agencies, religious institutions, and the workplace, and in various ways, including formal mentoring matches and informal relationships with teachers, coaches, neighbors, faith leaders, and others; Whereas effective mentoring of underserved and vulnerable populations helps individuals confront challenges and display improved mental health and social-emotional well-being; Whereas studies have shown that incorporating culture and heritage into mentoring programs can improve academic outcomes and increase community engagement, especially for Alaska Native and American Indian youth; Whereas mentoring encourages positive youth development and smart daily behaviors, such as finishing homework and having healthy social interactions, and has a positive impact on the growth and success of a young person; Whereas mentors help young people set career goals and can help connect mentees to industry professionals to train for and find jobs; Whereas mentoring programs generally have a significant, positive impact on youth academic achievement, school connectedness and engagement, and educational success, which lead to outcomes such as improved attendance, grades and test scores, and classroom behavior