Mentoring Diverse Youth

In these first few years of the twenty-first century, the issue of diversity awareness in schools and communities at large has become more important in the United States (U.S.). As the racial demographics of people change across the country, smaller cities and towns are realizing that diversity is no longer simply an urban concern. The need to prepare all citizens to understand this changing population cannot be understated. A major factor is the responsibility of mentoring diverse youth to subsist within this changing cultural milieu so they can become productive citizens.

Today, minority youth make up approximately 69% of the student population in urban school districts; however, they account for about 40% of the student population throughout the U.S. By the year 2020, approximately 47% of youth in the U.S. will be members of a minority group. Although the minority youth population is dramatically changing, the racial makeup of teachers remains relatively unchanged.