A recently approved amendment to the state senate’s proposed fiscal year 2023 budget sponsored by Sen. Brendan Crighton and Sen. Joan Lovely would provide an additional $300,000 in funding to Mass Mentorship Program, an organization that works to ensure that every young person in the state has access to quality mentoring relationships.
The senate passed the budget via a unanimous vote in May and will work with the House of Representatives to reconcile the differences between the two bodies’ proposals.
MMP provides grants to public and private agencies to start or expand youth mentoring programs, focusing on programs that advance academic performance, self-esteem, social competence, and workforce development.
Last year, MMP helped fund and support several programs offered by local organizations, including Centerboard, Girls Inc.’s Middle School Program, and Raw Art Works (RAW).
A spokesperson for Girls Inc. said that the MMP’s support has been critical to their Bold Futures Mentoring program, which instills best practices for program leaders and ensures the mentors and girls have positive experiences and outcomes.
“Through my relationship with my mentor, I have learned to be a better person, communicate with others and become more extraverted,” said recent graduate of the program, Amya. “She introduced me to topics that were interesting, and I feel more knowledgeable about life.”
In addition to the financial support, MMP funded programs also receive training and capacity building and must meet high levels of quality to maximize outcomes.
Crighton said he’s been fortunate enough to have had so many wonderful mentors in his life and wouldn’t be where he is today without them.
“This funding will allow Mass Mentoring Partnership to expand upon its work in empowering youth-adult relationships, so that more children across the Commonwealth have someone to turn to and learn from,” Crighton said.
Grants are awarded through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process, which has a dollar-for-dollar match requirement. The organization said that for every dollar invested in the mentoring programs, there is a return of $2.72, including estimated increases in lifetime earnings by guiding at-risk youth to become productive adult citizens. There are also dollars saved through reduced juvenile delinquency and crime, improved school attendance, and higher high school graduation rates, as well as a lowered risk of youth involvement in risky behaviors such as drug, alcohol, and tobacco use.
“We are grateful to Sen. Crighton and Sen. Lovely for recognizing how mentoring and youth-serving programs are critical for an equitable recovery in Massachusetts,” said MMP Chief Executive Officer and President Lily Mendez. “With $1.5 million in MMP funding, we can ensure that mentoring continues to be a resource for responding to the growing and evolving needs of young people, especially those who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.”
In the FY22 budget, MMP received $1.2 million, and the additional $300,000 in Crighton and Lovely’s amendment brings its current figure of $1.5 million, which is the most state funding that the program has received so far.
MMP says this increase will allow programs to match and support an additional 3,200 youth.
“Fostering mentorship opportunities is one of the greatest initiatives we can do for our youth,” said Lovely. “Mentors play a vital role encouraging and empowering our youngest residents, and the need for positive mentoring relationships is greater than ever. I am proud to have joined with Sen. Crighton to secure increased funding for the Mass Mentoring Partnership in the Senate’s FY23 budget. All Massachusetts youth deserve to have role models to help guide them to become the best versions of themselves.”
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected].
