The Mentoring to Succeed Act of 2025 creates a new federal grant program to help organizations set up or expand mentoring programs for young people who need extra support. The program targets teenagers and young adults facing challenges like poverty, family instability, academic struggles, or involvement with the justice system. Organizations that receive grants must pair young people with trained adult mentors for at least a year of regular meetings and activities.

The mentoring programs funded by this bill go beyond just having someone to talk to. They help young people develop important life skills like communication, problem-solving, and emotional awareness. Programs also connect youth with real-world work experiences through internships, job shadowing, apprenticeships, and training for jobs in growing industries. Additionally, they help students prepare for college or trade schools and encourage them to set goals for their futures. The bill emphasizes that mentors must be carefully screened, trained in trauma-informed practices, and equipped to work with diverse youth, including those with disabilities.

To receive grants, organizations must serve young people from underserved communities and work with local schools and businesses. The federal government will award these competitive grants for up to three years and requires organizations to track how well the programs work by measuring things like graduation rates, employment outcomes, and improvements in students' emotional development. The bill also directs the Department of Labor to study what makes mentoring programs successful and report back to Congress within three years.

Mentoring to Succeed Act of 2025

Durbin, Richard J.

Mentoring to Succeed Act of 2025This bill establishes grants to support mentoring programs for eligible youth (e.g., in-school youth, out-of-school youth, or youth who are failing academically or who meet specified criteria).&nbsp;Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Labor to award competitive grants for certain community-based organizations or partnerships involving community-based organizations to (1) establish, expand, or support mentoring programs; (2) assist eligible youth enrolled in secondary schools in developing cognitive and social-emotional skills; and (3) prepare eligible youth for success in high school, postsecondary education, and the workforce.Additionally, Labor must work with the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the Department of Education to (1) refer grant recipients to the National Mentoring Resource Center to obtain mentoring resources, and (2) provide grant recipients with information regarding transitional services for eligible youth returning from correctional facilities and transition services for students with disabilities.The bill also requires Labor's Chief Evaluation Office to study and report on mentoring programs.