A new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada conducted over a five year period with 1,000 youth found that those with a mentor are “significantly more confident in their academic abilities and considerably less likely to display behavioural problems.”

The full length press release on the study can be read here, but a few points truly stand out in line with the mission of SA-YES:

• Boys with a Big Brother are three times less likely than boys without a mentor to suffer peer pressure related anxiety, such as worrying about what other children think or say about them.
• Mentored boys are also two times less likely than non-mentored boys to develop negative conducts like bullying, fighting, lying, cheating, losing their temper or expressing anger.

We are still in need of male mentors should you be in the Cape Town area and interested in spending time with youth.