Each year, more than 1,400 community members volunteer their time to support North Texas students through Communities In Schools of North Texas. Nearly 500 of these individuals serve as one-to-one and leadership group mentors, providing encouragement and positive guidance to students at-risk. Mentoring relationships are a huge mental health benefit, not only to the student receiving support, but to the volunteer as well.
Mental Health Benefits to Students
Studies show that “having a trusted adult mentor can…build a child’s social and emotional skills, including those necessary for a child to recognize and control emotions and behaviors, establish and maintain positive relationships, make responsible decisions, solve challenging situations, and set and achieve positive goals,” (Rhodes, 2005). We at CISNT know that all children need and deserve a one-to-one relationship with a caring adult and a safe place to learn and grow. With each hour dedicated to the program, CISNT volunteers increase students’ self-esteem and social-emotional skills by acting as an advocate and friend in a safe school setting.
Mental Health Benefits to Volunteers
Our volunteers regularly report the positive impact that being a mentor has had on their own life. Often our new mentors go into the school year expressing that they hope they will be able to make a difference in a student’s life and finish the school year expressing how much the student has changed their life. A recent study has shown that volunteering is beneficial on an individual’s mental and physical health, overall life satisfaction, social well-being, and even in combating depression, (Kim et al., 2017). Every day, CISNT is creating safe spaces, not only for students, but for volunteers to thrive in as well. One mentor shared, “My student is funny. She challenges me and has enlarged and enriched my world!”
If you are interested in becoming a CISNT mentor and experiencing the life change that comes with serving the best students in North Texas, we would love to have you! Visit cisnt.org/volunteer or contact Katie McInnis at kmcinnis@cisnt.org to find out more.
