SENATE MEMORIAL 28

48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2008

INTRODUCED BY

Howie C. Morales

A MEMORIAL

DECLARING FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2008, "BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS YOUTH MENTORING DAY" AT THE SENATE.

     WHEREAS, more boys and girls in New Mexico than ever before grow up in circumstances that place them at severe risk of dropping out of school, youth crime and violence, drug and alcohol abuse and teen pregnancy; and

     WHEREAS, the big brothers big sisters mission is to bring caring adults into the lives of young people in order to prevent destructive behavior and instill positive values and life skills; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico's big brothers big sisters programs served over three thousand children in 2007 in counties across the entire state and these programs were nationally recognized for their Hispanic and Native American mentoring initiatives; and

     WHEREAS, science-based research has shown that a young person who is matched with a big brother or big sister volunteer is:

          A. forty-six percent less likely to start using illegal drugs;

          B. twenty-seven percent less likely to start drinking;

          C. fifty-two percent less likely to skip a day of school;

          D. thirty-seven percent less likely to skip a class; and

          E. less likely to engage in violence; and

     WHEREAS, the positive impact of big brothers big sisters has proved that one adult caring for one child is the most powerful force to keep young people in school, off drugs and alcohol and out of trouble with the law; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico's big brothers big sisters programs and its school-based partners have grown twice as fast as the national average, increasing the number of youth matched with adults by nearly sixty percent to three thousand one hundred big-little matches in the past year; and

     WHEREAS, with waiting lists for all of its programs and a torrent of requests from unserved counties in New Mexico, the big brothers big sisters programs in New Mexico are committed to bringing its life-changing program to all children in the state, regardless of where they reside;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the invaluable contributions of big brothers big sisters be recognized and that Friday, January 25, 2008, be declared "Big Brothers Big Sisters Youth Mentoring Day" at the sentate.

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