Positive relationships with community and religious leaders, parents, and peers provide youth with quality role models and have a powerful impact on children's lives. Youth of any age can benefit from constructive, one-on-one interaction with adults and peers beyond the home and hearth of the family. Caring individuals help youth from all circumstances succeed by providing support, friendship, advice, and mentoring.

Webster’s dictionary defines a mentor as “a trusted friend or counselor.” I’m sure many of us in this room have turned to a mentor for advice and guidance when facing a tough decision. Turning to a person with a lifetime of experience to draw from is invaluable.

That’s why, in a society with high divorce rates and a steadily increasing number of dual-worker families, mentoring has become more important than ever. Millions of children are coming home from school each day to an empty home, with little or no parental supervision, structure, or guidance to keep them out of harm’s way. Many of them simply believe no one cares.

Here are some statistics to consider:

• Today, almost one-fourth of all children live in single-mother families, while nearly 36 percent of children live in homes without their biological father.
• Family meals and time for family discussions have dropped dramatically over the past two decades as youth are watching more television, playing video games, and turning to other mass media for entertainment.

In spite of these discouraging facts, society increasingly recognizes mentoring as an important tool in the fight to keep our youth on the right path. Recent studies have shown that a youth with a mentor in his or her life is less likely to skip school, use drugs, or drink alcohol, and is more confident in his or her school work. In fact, Fortune magazine reports, “The number one indicator of a child’s success is a good relationship with a caring adult.”

Quality relationships that provide young people the chance to talk about issues they face are integral to healthy development. Mentors act as positive role models who provide meaningful friendships and share important life experiences. Mentoring improves decision-making; builds self-confidence, scholastic achievement, and communication and social skills; and teaches youth how to succeed during difficult times. Quite simply, having a mentor, like a Scoutmaster or member of the troop committee, can mean the difference between achievement and failure.

One of the most difficult obstacles young people face is learning how to deal with anger and resolve problems. Tragically, many youth have turned to violence when unsure how to find answers to life’s questions. Mentors can act as a sounding board—someone who may not have all the right answers or fix every problem but someone who can lend a sympathetic ear to a youth in need. Mentors can talk about their choices and what they’ve done in the past to survive rough times.

Mentors like Scoutmasters, Cubmasters, and chartered organization representatives often gain as much from a mentoring relationship as do the youth. Scout leaders find that guiding youth through difficult times can have a very lasting impact on their own lives and relationships with family members. In fact, one of the greatest achievements I hear from Scout leaders is knowing they have helped a troubled youth in a time of need. They say it’s just about the most satisfying part of their work.

The Boy Scouts of America has always understood the critical role of mentoring in youth development. Since its inception in 1910, the organization has incorporated mentoring as a fundamental element in its program. Den leaders, Cubmasters, and Scoutmasters serve as positive role models who introduce youth to opportunities, a vast network of community leaders, and resources not readily available to youth outside the BSA program. The BSA advancement program also promotes adult-to-peer interaction while setting goals and reviewing them in personal development conferences.

We all know how confusing our early years can be, because we’ve all been there, but we can help. The Boy Scouts of America is committed to helping millions of youth succeed by providing the support, friendship, and guidance necessary to live a happy and fulfilling life.