Benjamin Franklin once quipped that nothing can be sure in life except for death and taxes, speaking to the unpredictable roller coaster ride that most of us travel for our 75 or so years of existence. In a world that strives so hard to live in either black or white, we most often find ourselves in the most nuanced shades of gray. True definitiveness is indeed one life's rarest commodities.

Yet, while I may or may not have the wisdom or foresight of a founding father, I feel comfortable in adding a certainty to his very short list: mentoring matters. Mentoring matters now possibly more than it ever has, specifically to our youth. It has never been more important to our most underserved, under-represented and marginalized youth in our society.

Many of us familiar with mentoring think of it in a business or scholarly setting; having a trusted advisor or colleague there to help us navigate a new position or program. Our youth are desperately in need of a trusted, caring individual who can help see them through some of the most daunting and transformative years of their lives. Only a few of our youth are allowed the privilege to be merely "just kids," something that seemed at one point to be an unalienable right for youngsters. Too many of our youth, already held back by systemic, institutional and socio-economic barriers, are being branded by one or two instances of poor judgment that continuously haunts and hinders them for the rest of their lives. A kind, caring and impactful adult is vital to not only the success, but in many cases, the overall survival of many of the youth in our country.

We can no longer afford to finger wag from the sidelines, demonizing our youth in our delusional nostalgia for yesteryear. Snide comments won't keep youth off the streets. Hypocritical moral grandstanding will not get our kids out of detention centers and jail. Posting damning critiques of the state of our youth in cyberspace from the comforts of our homes hasn't saved a life yet and I guarantee it won't start. Change will come when we see that these youth belong to us, that they ARE us, and as such we make a true investment into their lives and their wellbeing. I can think of no greater investment than deciding to mentor.

Although January is National Mentoring Month, we cannot afford for mentoring to only be a prominent topic for 31 days. The call to action has been placed and must carry on for this generation as well as the next. Our youth need us right now. 2016 and beyond must signal the beginning of a cultural shift, one where we realize the importance of caring for and nurturing our youth.

To learn more about the Right Turn program or to sign up, visit kcc.kentuckianaworks.org or to volunteer to read, tutor or mentor a youth in our community, visit metrounitedway.org/rtm.

Darryl Young currently serves as the Mentor Coordinator for the Right Turn Program - a program dedicated to helping newly adjudicated teens re-enter their communities and get back on the right track. He is an active member of the Louisville community as a concerned citizen, advocate and community organizer. He is a former member of the grassroots community organization Network Center for Community Change (NC3), and an active member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated. Darryl is also heavily involved in Louisville's local efforts as part of the Cities United Initiative and the National Black Male Achievement movement. Mr. Young is a proud alum of the University of Louisville, class of 2012.