Mentoring programs that build relationships between a young person and an unrelated adult can offer emotional and life skills that kids might not otherwise get. Research shows that kids in mentorships are more likely to graduate high school and enroll in college, have lower rates of substance abuse and overall report better feelings of self-esteem and confidence. But local mentorship organizations say there aren’t enough mentors to support the young people who need them — especially Latino and bilingual mentors.

One way Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago helps kids start shaping their futures is through glimpses into a variety of career pathways, said bilingual site based program coordinator Lizzette Garza.

“We have mentoring that happens with corporate partners,” Garza said. “We pair up youth with adult mentors that work downtown, that have different jobs like engineering, IT, banking, and it gives that youth opportunities to learn about other jobs that they maybe wouldn’t usually know about.”

Youth Guidance is the administrator of the school-based mentoring programs “Becoming a Man” and “Working on Womanhood,” which offer social-emotional learning.

“The programs are intensive counseling, trauma-informed programs … throughout the city of Chicago,” said April Curtis-Rivera, chief of staff at Youth Guidance. “They’re working with young people and pairing them up in group settings or a counselor that oftentimes serves as their mentor as well. It supports them within the school-based setting and helps with them social-emotional cognitive skills that helps them on a two-year trajectory.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago offers a broad range of focused programs that meet kids where they need the most help, said Hilda Crispin-Arias, a club manager for Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago.

“We have character and leadership programs and also healthy habits,” Crispin-Arias said. “… We do have a youth development specialist there with the kids and they help them with their homework and any other extra tutoring that they might need as well.”

Garza said language is a major consideration for matches for Latino youth.

“A lot of the youth that we serve are first-generation Americans, and at home parents only speak Spanish,” Garza said. “So youth are really looking for mentors that they can communicate with in both languages.”

Among the benefits of mentorship for young people is developing better interpersonal and reflective skills, said Curtis-Rivera.

“How to identify their emotions, self-regulation, identifying their anger, identifying that it’s OK not to be OK, working with their sadness, their happiness, identifying their different cues in life and what it means to just work through their emotions, through the happy moments, through the sad moments,” Curtis-Rivera said.

Both Crispin-Arias and Garza said they see a shortage of Latino mentors for the youth they serve, and the shortage is more acute for Latino men. But regardless of ethnicity, they said the most important attributes for a successful mentorship are an open mind and a willingness to keep showing up.

“We’re looking for someone that is willing to grow a relationship with the youth … someone that is really open to not only sharing about their life but learning about someone else’s skills or struggles and experiences as well,” Garza said.

“Someone who’s willing to … just be genuine with them and willing to share their experiences and show them something new,” Curtis-Rivera said. “A lot of our young people are looking for exposure. They’re looking for an opportunity to learn something new and build a relationship.”

But in the end, it’s a commitment that is well worth the effort, Crispin-Arias said.

“[Mentees] have told me that it has changed their lives, that they have created a bond they would have never thought of … that actually has even saved their lives,” Crispin-Arias said.

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