So you want to help out children in your area that do not have a home or a family to call their own, but aren't quite able to open up your home full time to another child, well then how about becoming a mentor! Disadvantaged children of all ages are in need of someone to look up to, to hang out with, and to teach them about life in general, however children whom are close to aging out of the system could use your support, love, and guidance now more than ever. And with it being National Adoption Awareness Month, now is the best time to get involved!

Once children officially age out of the system that is it for them, the small support system that they did have, composed of social workers, CASA workers, judges, and so forth, are gone, forced to focus on their active cases and no longer obligated to throw attention the way of the aged out child. This leaves the child who came from an unstable background with no significant adult in his or her life to model the correct paths in life to take, in a position to make major life choices for themselves, with absolutely no one to guide the child in the correct direction.

By mentoring an older child who will soon age out of the system, you will be in the unique position of being a life coach for a child who desperately needs someone to show him or her how to be a normal, functioning part of society. Not only can you play games with the child and do fun activities together, such as going to the movies, but you will also have the opportunity to show this young adult how to balance a check book, or open a bank account, or even how to fill out a job application and write a resume.

Without someone there to help these children who age out of the system, they will literally be turned out into the world once they turned eighteen with nothing, and nowhere to go. It is up to the child to figure it all out alone... unless, of course, their is a mentor around to give that child the support and life skills that she or she needs to have a good start in life.