Barwon South West Youth Mentoring Network

Victorian Mentoring Summit

2009-08-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

Hello all Mentors,
An invitation to all mentors in the BSW region.
VICTORIAN MENTORING SUMMIT - Warrnambool
Join other mentors from across the Barwon South West region, for a day out:
A river cruise on the Hopkins River followed by lunch at Proudfoots on the River, Warrnambool.
Date: 15th August 2009 Cost : just $5.00 per head.

Rsvp to rsamrai@brophy.org.au by Wed 14th Aug.

BSW Mentoring Network Meeting; 21st July 2009

2009-08-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

BSW Networking meeting: 21st July 2009

Updates from:
Cindy Jenkinson, Coramgamite Youth Worker. Details of the BRICKS program and the excellent feedback from program participants. Mentor and Parent training and how that was going. Information evenings for young people. Each young person devises a Strategic Plan.
Adeline McDonald, Kalay Wartee. Kalay Wartee members did a presentation to DHS and Dept of Justice at a recent Forum in W’bool with @250 people attending. This was a high profile event to launch the release of next years’ funding round with several heads of department present; a great opportunity for Kalay Wartee to show-case their work, including the involvement of their students on the day.
Leeona Van Duynhoven, SFYS (School focused youth service). Update on SFYS and involvement with schools. Youth Link ’55; an excellent network of youth and school related agencies working on Cyber bullying and planned school-based family violence training.
The mentors and Mentees then arrived, so we broke for lunch.
Adeline introduced the mentors and mentees and they were individually invited to give an insight into their experience of mentoring; both mentors said that this relationship was a totally new experience for them and a positive one, with huge learning and one that brought a great deal of satisfaction to see the young person grow and develop as an individual. Although within the family, parents and elders play a vital role in this program, the need for the mentor’s role in maintaining sensitivity and not-crossing boundaries with parents and families was also recognized.
The students also spoke about their experiences: taking part in activities that they had never done before and may never have had the opportunity given their circumstances and ‘being the first person in their family ever to get on to Year 12!’
The mentors acknowledged the huge amount of support given to them by Adeline and Damien in the Kalay Wartee program. A vital role, the mentors felt that they could call upon at anytime.
We also discussed the methods which can be used to capture the outputs and ways to evaluate a mentoring program like this, where the outcomes aren’t always measurable.
This was a very valuable experience and insight into how an indigenous mentoring program has been able to achieve some excellent outcomes.
THANKS to everyone who attended and in particular the mentors and mentees invaluable input.

Mentoring Forum in Warrnambool

2009-06-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

Brophy family and youth services hosted a forum on school-based mentoring on June 11th. The forum was aimed at schools heads, chaplains and welfare staff. The welcome to country was announced by Adeline Mc Donald; Joint coordinator of the Kalay Wartee Indigenous mentoring program based in Warrnambool and Sandra, a student on the program.

The 3 speakers for the evening were Jeanette Pritchard; Standing Tall Baimbridge College, Marylin Leermakers; Kids Hope Aus and Jacinta Tolland; Standing Tall Camperdown College. Two mentors also gave a brief insight of their mentoring experience. The presentations stimulated a lively discussion session between the audience and all the program coordinators, mentors and student present. There was a brief break out session for groups to give there perspective on school mentoring and these comments were aired to the whole group and noted for future progression. At the end of the forum there was interest in the audience to start a working group to set up a mentoring program in schools in Warrnambool; we hope to make a joint submission for funding thro this working group.

2nd Networking meeting; Barwon Metoring programs.

2009-06-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

In June 08, we had our networking meeting at SGAE (Sthrn Gramps Adult Ed'n) run by Kathryn Hamill, and were invited to meet the students and mentors of the Youth Ed'n and VCAL progs. The prog assists students with literacy, numeracy and computing and some go on to do Cert 3 and 4 in a range of different subjects including media, advertising, photography, catering and hospitality and child care. Some of these students are severely disadvantages and living under very difficult conditions. This program helps many to achieve a qualification which can then assist in securing employment. Recently they held a graduation ball to celebrate the achievements of individual students, with the added opportunity to dress for the occasion!

At the networking meeting we had a good turn out of program coordinators and we welcomed Cindy Jenkinson, Youth Development Officer at Corangamite Shire. We discussed the inherent problem of sustaining regional mentoring progs and possible means of funding. Upcoming dates and events are also planned for the year ahead.

Watch this space for an update on the next meeting.

2009-04-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

West of Barwon South West Region!

Recently we held our first networking meeting for mentoring programs at this end of the Region. We got a chance to meet The Shed program based at the YMCA Portland, where they repair and put together old bikes and motors for lawn mowers. It was great to see the enthusiasm of the young students and the dedication of the older Mentors and how both age groups worked so well together.

The Program Coordinators who attended this meeting were able to exchange notes about their own programs and we also came up with a list of 'challenging' areas which we hope to tackle together as a network.

If you are a involved with a mentoring program in the BSW Region and would like to get involved; this includes coordinators, mentors and mentees/students or even someone thinking of setting up a mentoring program, PLEASE get in touch. There are many resources and sources of information which we can access on youth mentoring, so please don't struggle on your own.

Rashmita Samrai
Regional Mentoring Coordinator.

Great mentoring resources

2009-01-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

There are two terrific Australian websites with a huge array of resources, research and advice for existing or new mentoring programs to access for free:

The Victorian Youth Mentoring Alliance offers a search facility of their extensive mentoring program database as well as program snapshots and upcoming Victorian mentoring events and activities.

The national Youth Mentoring Network provides a wealth of information on mentoring including extensive Australian and overseas research and benchmarks for mentoring programs to follow.

All mentoring coordinators or people interested in setting up a mentoring program would be well served by exploring both of these sites.

Did the Colac forum deliver on the promise?

2008-11-10T15:43:00.000-08:00

The 'Youth Mentoring - Communities Delivering on the Promise' forum held in Colac on October 30th highlighted the potential and challenges of both youth mentoring itself and, by extension, how to support programs regionally.

Guest speaker Jeanette Pritchard's presentation focussed on how to energise communities to support young people by taking ownership of youth mentoring programs. Drawing on her research and experience with the Standing Tall program in Hamilton, Jeanette outlined how, from a resiliency perspective, mentoring young people by adults in the community can be an effective way to help reduce risk factors and boost protective factors. However, for a program to have these outcomes it must be well run on sound principles and operate in an environment where participants and the community feel ownership over the program.

Click here to access Jeanette's powerpoint presentation via the Youth Mentoring Network's website.

The panel discussion featured:

Shannon Lutrell (Big Brothers Big Sisters, Geelong)

Wendy Cannon (Aspire, Warrnambool)

Jacinta Tolland (Camperdown P-12 College)

Sarah Johnson (Victorian Youth Mentoring Alliance - state body)

Sylvia Utami (Youth Mentoring Network - national body).

Panel discussion points:

do your research with potential participants (young people and mentors) to ensure there is sufficient demand for this program

don't reinvent the wheel: use previous models and experience of other organisations, stay connected the your local network and use the resources on VYMA and YMN websites

make sure young people feel ownership of the program as early as possible in planning process so they won't run a mile once it's set up

develop community investment by making your program indispensible and making sure you promote what you do well

moving outside your own sector to set up partnerships can build better programs and help make them more sustainable

be creative in developing strategies for engaging business in your program

be realistic and informed about the resources (especially staff time) involved in planning and running a good mentoring program

The forum then looked at potential actions for a Regional Coordination Project around supporting youth mentoring in the region. Suggestions included:

Explore options to make the 'first step' easier for schools and organisations, such as model development, recruitment & training of mentors

Scope potential programs and organisations in the region which could benefit from working together in partnership

Set up a Barwon South West regional steering group to inform the Regional Coordination Project worker

Explore links with volunteer support organisations to centralise a trained mentor pool

Encourage partnerships between schools and community organsations to deliver a coordinated approach to recruiting and training mentors for schools to access

Feedback from participants indicated that the forum met their expectations (93% favourable) in terms of the 5 objectives of the forum:

Increase awareness of youth mentoring and its potential in the region

Increase understanding of the issues of youth mentoring programs new & existing

A more thoughtful, collaborative and informed approach to planning & implementing programs

Provide a springboard to future training opportunities

Develop some actions for regional support

The forum will provide our new Regional Coordination Project worker (due to commence soon) with a solid foundation to work with from here. Thankyou to everyone for participating in the forum and look forward to seeing you at future events as part of the Barwon South West Youth Mentoring Network.

Thanks to our panel members and especially Sylvia from the national Youth Mentoring Network for partnering in this forum and travelling down from Sydney for the day.

Youth Mentoring Forum rescheduled to October 30th

2008-09-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

The 'Youth Mentoring - Communities Delivering on the Promise' forum cancelled in August has been rescheduled to Thursday 30th October. I will be contacting anyone who registered previously to see if they still wish to attend. If we have spaces remaining I will then open to others.

'Youth Mentoring - Communities delivering on the promise'

Learn how well-run youth mentoring programs can help connect young people to their communities and improve personal, educational and social outcomes.
Hear stories from current program coordinators on the highlights, challenges and implications of running successful youth mentoring programs
What does the research say about the benefits and limitations of youth mentoring?
Discuss regional and community responses - how can we get there from here?

Hear from guest speaker Jeanette Pritchard from the successful 'Standing Tall' mentoring model at Baimbridge College and other coordinators, mentors and young people involved in mentoring programs across the Barwon South West region.

The forum will be facilitated by Damien Becker of the Barwon South West Youth Mentoring Network who are coordinating this event in partnership with the national Youth Mentoring Network.

Venue: Colac Otways Performing Arts Centre
Address: Cnr Gellibrand and Rae St, Colac VIC 3250 (map below)

Date: Thursday 30th October 1.30pm - 4pm

Cost: Free, refreshments provided

Limited places. To request an attendance registration form, contact Damien Becker on 55618888 or at dbecker@brophy.org.au

View Larger Map

New project worker being sought

2008-09-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

After a month of recuperation, I am back at work but have resigned due to ongoing health issues. As a person with cystic fibrosis, the mind is willing but the body doesn't always keep up. C'est la vie.

The most frustrating part of resigning from this position is that the Barwon South West youth mentoring forum planned for August - and the huge interest it was generating - was really helping develop the momentum to 'put youth mentoring on the map', as Jeanette Pritchard would say. I have would loved to be around to help use that momentum to develop serious action in the region.

However, I will be staying at Brophy working part time on the Kalay Wartee Indigenous youth mentoring program. I will be rescheduling the Colac forum for late October and hopefully we will have a new worker on board by then to participate and for everyone to meet. The forum will be important for maintaining momentum and assisting the Regional Coordination Project worker develop their workplan for the Barwon South West.

If you are interested in the position of Regional Mentoring Coordination project worker for the Barwon South West, contact Monica Smith at Brophy on 5561 8888. Cheers, Damien

Mentoring Forum Full; NRGize

2008-08-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

After an overwhelming response to the Youth Mentoring Forum being held in Colac next Wednesday, we have had to hang up the FULL HOUSE sign in the window. It will be a tight squeeze with more than 50 people registering for the event. We didn't want to make it any bigger because we believed it was important for everyone feel comfortable to give input or ask questions of the mentoring coordinators present. I'm looking forward to the forum - there's a great range of people attending so should be some interesting discussions and actions to come out of it.

I'll be at the NRGize mentoring training program in Melbourne this week as a participant and helping present the 'Mixing It Up: Multicultural Considerations in Mentoring' session with Adeline McDonald from Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperative. NRGize is the only intensive training program for mentoring coordinators in Australia.

Youth Mentoring Forum in Colac on August 27th

2008-07-10T23:23:00.000-07:00

The upcoming Barwon South West Youth Mentoring Forum is titled 'Youth Mentoring - Communities delivering on the promise'. I encourage anyone working with young people that is interested (or cynical!) about youth mentoring to attend the forum - a combination of presentation, panel and group discussion designed to inform and promote action.

Many people are talking about youth mentoring - and governments and funders are starting to put in the dollars to fund programs that they expect will deliver good outcomes for young people - but how many organisations and communities are equipped to deliver on the promise?

Research suggests that youth mentoring can have positive impacts on young people, but a poorly run program can have negative consequences for a young participant.

This forum will provide an opportunity for professionals and community members working with young people to learn about youth mentoring, hear stories about the programs in the region and discuss how communities can work together to build stronger, more effective youth mentoring programs.

'Youth Mentoring - Communities delivering on the promise'

Learn how well-run youth mentoring programs can help connect young people to their communities and improve personal, educational and social outcomes.
Hear stories from current program coordinators on the highlights, challenges and implications of running successful youth mentoring programs
What does the research say about the benefits and limitations of youth mentoring?
Discuss regional and community responses - how can we get there from here?

The forum will be facilitated by Damien Becker of the Barwon South West Youth Mentoring Network who are coordinating this event in partnership with the national Youth Mentoring Network.

Any organisations or community groups involved in working with young people are encouraged to attend, including schools, TAFEs, welfare organisations, police, business groups, local government, neighbourhood houses, sporting clubs, cultural and arts organisations.

Venue: Colac Otways Performing Arts Centre
Address: Cnr Gellibrand and Rae St, Colac VIC 3250 (map below)

Date: Wednesday 27th August 1.30pm - 4pm

Cost: Free, refreshments provided

Limited places. To request an attendance registration form, contact Damien Becker on 55618888 or at dbecker@brophy.org.au

View Larger Map

Mentor Summit

2008-07-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

As part of Youth Mentoring Week, mentors from across Victoria came together on Saturday to share ideas and experiences, celebrate their contribution and give input to the sector.

About 30 mentors and 15 mentoring program coordinators took part in the event. It was a cold, but sunny morning in the lush playgrounds of Parkville. It was an early start from Port Fairy (even earlier from Hamilton for Kathryn Hamill from Southern Grampians Adult Ed's Youth Education Program - thanks for making the effort Kathryn!) but my energy picked up with the sight of so many volunteers enthusiastically giving up their precious time to attend.

The morning session, in which groups discussed four key mentoring issues, was dynamic, noisy and productive. The topics for dicussion (highlights of mentoring, challenges, how to best support mentors and lobbying & networking) provoked much thought and plenty of terrific stories. At our table, which was mostly made up of men - a rare event when you work in the community sector - talk was of the preference many male mentors have for structured relationships or tangible activities to work on with their mentees.

Other points included the frustration with mentor training that goes over the same ground, particularly for existing mentors attending sessions with new mentors. A suggestion was that more experienced mentors be given roles in training sessions to value their input.

It also came up several times at our table that being a mentor can be expensive financially over time. It was suggested that programs that do have a budget to cover some activity expenses need to make mentors aware of how to access it and to make that process mentor-friendly... otherwise the mentors may be reluctant to ask or feel like they're putting their hand out.

Thanks also to Petrina Hare from Barwon Youth's In-School Mentoring Program for her attendance and good company on the drive up and back. The Summit was put together by the Victorian youth Mentoring Alliance (VYMA), the national Youth Mentoring Network and the regional coordination projects.

I will be putting up a link to the notes from the day when they become available.

Youth Mentoring Week

2008-07-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Youth Mentoring Week 2008!

The week kicked off on Wednesday with the Youth Mentoring Celebration on the 46th floor of a Collins Street office tower - that's a long way up when you're scared of heights! Minister for Youth James Merlino was on hand to officially launch the week, which he said was an important recognition of the contribution mentors make to our community. In a video message, the Governer of Victoria Prof Julian De Kretser also praised mentors who gave their time across the state to help young peole better connect with their communities.

The Gunditjmara dancers, which include several mentees and mentors from the Kalay Wartee Indigenous mentoring program run by the Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperative in Warrnambool, performed the Welcome to Country ceremony for the delighted audience of mentors, mentees and coordinators. Program coordinator Adeline McDonald said it was a great opportunity for the young people to show the Minister and others the work they have been doing as a group and with their individual mentors.

Celebration host Mick Murphy, a long-time mentoring true believer and secretary of the Victorian Youth Mentoring Alliance, said that it was important to recognise mentors as they do not always see the difference they are making to the lives of the young people they choose to spend time with. Often, he said, their undersell their contribution because the building of a trusting relationship is a slow, incremental process. But this is exactly what makes mentoring such a rich and worthwhile community activity.

Youth Mentoring Week brings positive community messages about youth mentoring. The more the community is aware of what youth mentoring is and the benefits it can bring the easier it is for each individual program to recruit mentors, seek funds and build community support. The Victorian Youth Mentoring Alliance, the national Youth Mentoring Network, the Office for Youth and the Regional Coordination Projects (including this one, the Barwon South West Youth Mentoring Network) are emerging voices in the everpresent public conversation of 'what can we do to help our disengaged young people?'

About the Network

2008-07-03T18:29:00.000-07:00

G'day, thanks for visiting the site for the Barwon South West Youth Mentoring Network. This network is designed to help schools, communities and organisations provide quality youth mentoring programs across the Barwon South West region of Victoria. As a Regional Coordination Project, the Barwon South West Youth Mentoring Network can:

• Support potential, new and existing programs by offering advice, training and practical resources (non-financial)
• Identify and share what works: youth mentoring research, achievements and models of best practice
• Assist organisations and communities to develop strategies and models for delivering quality youth mentoring programs
• Promote youth mentoring and encourage participation across the whole community

Regional Coordination Projects are an exciting partnership between the Office for Youth and the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust to help build the capacity of communities and develop innovative ways of helping young people. The Barwon South West includes Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula, the Surf Coast, Colac, the Otways, Warrnambool, Hamilton and Portland and surrounding areas.