Mentors must step up to help kids’ mental health
Sometimes it’s reading a book and discussing themes over the phone or conquering the next level of the latest video game together through Zoom. Other times, it’s throwing a football masked and gloved outside in a nearby park or meeting for an ice cream cone while staying six feet apart. Whatever it is Sean never misses the opportunity to hang out with his mentor with whom he was matched through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts years ago. Otherwise, between remote schooling and his single parent working, he would find himself alone much of the time in the confines of his bedroom thinking about his family’s health and the racial justice protests happening at his doorstep when all he wants to do is just – be – a– kid.
Sean’s mentoring relationship is one example of protective measures that adults can take as mentors to help minimize the risk factors, such as lack of motivation, anxiety, stress and isolation, that are threatening our children’s mental health. As families grapple with housing, food insecurity, unemployment and underemployment, having another caring adult in their children’s corner can be the difference between a child fulfilling his or her potential and experiencing depression or anxiety. Now, more than ever mentoring services are needed for many families.
According to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of children’s mental-health related visits to emergency departments nationwide rose between April and October 2020. Compared to 2019, visits for children ages 5 to 11 increased by approximately 24 percent and visits for children ages 12 to 17 increased by an estimated 31 percent. And the toll the pandemic is taking on our children’s mental health goes beyond one child, one family, one ER visit. The CDC also estimates pediatric mental health care costs the nation $247 billion annually.
So, what can we do? Let parents or guardians know there are services available to support to their children.
As stories of race, economic and cultural divide flood the news, social connection is paramount in the face of physical disconnection.
We need to keep kids moving, create and adhere to schedules and boundaries, offer friendship and serve as a sound board and resource for them as they navigate a-typical challenges of adolescence. Doing so, will help children to develop confidence, learn to self-regulate their emotions and create an environment in which they feel safe and ready to learn and grow.
Mentoring programs are a safe and responsible way for adults to show up for children. We know that young people from under-resourced communities can benefit from one-to-one connection from supportive adults in their lives regardless of our current crisis. At Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts, many mentors are getting creative and leveraging the agency’s online match resources and Match Support Team to help their mentees to develop the 6 C’s — Curiosity, Character, Connection, Caring, Competency and Confidence.
As stories of race, economic and cultural divide flood the news, social connection is paramount in the face of physical disconnection. Not only can mentoring cultivate the 6 C’s, but dynamic learning experiences give youth a sense of purpose, fun experiences, exposure to different people and cultures, and a better understanding of their community and world around them. The correlation between purpose and improved mental and emotional health is particularly important as research suggests nearly 40 percent of young people involved in formal mentoring programs experience symptoms of depression. Mentors can be the upstream solution for those at risk of dropping into this category.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the value of caring one-to-one relationships in each of our lives. We can’t change the impact of COVID-19 on the way kids live, learn and play. What we can do, however, is implement proactive positive changes, one child at a time, that at scale can create broad impact that has the power to redefine our communities. Let our children and families know that they are not alone. Show up. We owe it to them.