Close to 100 students attended Forever Young Campaign’s first informational meeting Thursday. The Forever Young Campaign, which began last year, is a mentoring program pairing up University students to local children in grades K-12.

“It’s not just tutoring. It’s forming a relationship with a child,” said Kate Kotsko, a junior social work major and one of the students in charge of the campaign on campus.

During the meeting, Kotsko emphasized the flexibility of the program, stating that volunteers only have to give up one hour a week to mentor an Athens child. Trudy Bradley, director of the Clarke County Mentor Program, emphasized the campaign’s importance.

“You as students can be great role models for these kids. Your presence in that child’s life is a legacy that you leave and it is powerful,” Bradley told students at the meeting.

Bradley also went over some of the statistics surrounding the county and the program. “If you don’t already know, Clarke County is the fifth poorest county in the nation with some of the lowest graduation rates in Georgia,” Bradley said. “Our mentor program is the largest in the state and half of our volunteers are UGA students.”

Nick Solari, a junior from Powder Springs, said it was his first time attending a meeting but said he was definitely interested in becoming a mentor. “I think it’s important to give back to the surrounding community, and I figure there’s something I can give back to someone else,” Solari said .

Nia Chau, a sophomore from Fayetteville, said she was interested in mentoring after the meeting. “The influence you can have on someone is pretty powerful . you can change someone’s life,” Chau said.

“We have a meeting at the beginning of each semester for anyone interested,” said Kotsko.

“I hope that you are inspired enough to want to join us . if you are, you just need to fill out the application and attend one of our two-hour sessions. There’s also a background check, but hopefully you already know whether or not you’re eligible,” Bradley said.

“It’s very flexible. You can meet with your mentee whenever it’s most convenient for you,” said Bradley.