Welcome and Introductions

1
Welcome and Introductions

• Family Life welcome
• BGK LLEN introduction
• Name and agency represented
• What brought you here today?

2
Purpose of Meeting

• Build on last years Youth Mentoring Forum
• Gather for the first meeting of a Regional Youth
  Mentoring Network
• Explore the concept of youth mentoring
• Learn about the Victorian Youth Mentoring
  Alliance (VYMA)
• Examine the local mentoring landscape
• Explore the role of a Regional Youth Mentoring
  Network
• Plan for the growth of youth mentoring in this
  region

3
What is Youth Mentoring? Mentoring Definitions

• Mentoring aims to provide a structured and
  trusting relationship that brings young people
  together with caring individuals who offer
  guidance, support and encouragement (Youth
  Mentoring Network)
• Mentoring is a mutually beneficial relationship
  which involves a more experienced person helping
  a less experienced younger person to achieve
  their goals (Victorian Youth Mentoring Alliance)
• Various programs and/or relationships, whether
  formal or informal, which aim to build the skills
  or wellbeing of a young person through the input
  and/or assistance of another person who has more
  skills, experience and knowledge
• (Guide to Supporting Effective Mentoring
  Programs for Mentoring Young People12)
• The formation of a helping relationship between
  a younger person and an unrelated, relatively
  older, more experienced person who can increase
  the capacity of the young person to connect with
  positive social and economic networks to improve
  their life chances
• (Leading the Way the Victorian Governments
  Strategic framework on Mentoring Young People
  2005-2008)

4
What is Youth Mentoring? Mentor Descriptions

• The mentor is not a replacement for a parent,
  nor are they a counsellor or teacher. They are a
  sounding board and confidant to the young person.
  While every mentoring program has a different job
  description for their mentors they all have one
  common goal and that is to help a young person
  fulfil his or her own potential and discover
  their strengths. (Youth Mentoring Network)
• Mentoring vs. Role Modelling and Coaching
• A mentor may be a role model, but role modelling
  can exist outside a formal relationship
• Mentoring relationships can include aspects of
  coaching, but coaching has a clear set of
  objectives and goals which lead to a natural
  ending

5
What is Youth Mentoring? Youth Mentee
Descriptions

• All young people can potentially benefit from
  mentoring, in particular those who are
• Disengaged / at risk of disengagement from
  education
• Seeking to make a transition from school to work
• Involved in or seeking to transition from the
  justice system
• Socially isolated
• Young parents
• Seeking to connect with cultural identity
• Wanting to further sporting/athletic potential
• Keen to increase career options

6
What is Youth Mentoring? Types and Models

• Planned or formal youth mentoring can take
  several forms
• Traditional mentoring one adult to one young
  person
• Group mentoring one adult working with a small
  number
• Team mentoring several adults working with
  small groups
• Peer mentoring youth mentoring other youth
• E-mentoring mentoring via email and the
  internet
• Mentoring can take place in a wide range of
  settings
• Community based mentoring
• School based mentoring
• Faith based mentoring
• Business mentoring
• Virtual mentoring
• Audit the types of mentoring programs currently
  delivered (or planned) by organisations here today

7
What is Youth Mentoring? Benefits

• Changes in families, work demands and communities
  have left many young people without the adult
  supports that were traditionally available
  mentoring is one way of minimising the negative
  outcomes associated with these changes.
• Australian and international research has shown
  that mentoring can have enormous benefits for
  young people, the mentors and the community.

8
What is Youth Mentoring? Benefits for Young
People

• Improvements in relationships with family and
  peers
• An increase in overall communication skills
• Reduced feelings of isolation
• A reduction of risk behaviour
• Enhanced social and emotional development
• Increased options / opportunities for
  participation
• Strengthened participation in educational and
  vocational opportunities
• Increased resilience

9
What is Youth Mentoring? Benefits for Mentors

• Satisfaction in making a difference and giving
  back to the community
• Opportunity to reflect on own life, goals,
  aspirations and interactions
• Build new skills through training
• Meet new people and develop new networks
• Add variety to their work and life experiences
• Mutually beneficial relationship increases
  success if you help someone up the hill, you
  get closer to the top yourself

10
What is Youth Mentoring? Benefits for Community

• Builds volunteering capacity
• Increases community connectedness
• Increases youth participation in the community
• Enhances youth capacity to become active and
  engaged members of society
• Increases awareness of youth issues
• Can assist in building collaborative partnerships

11
What is Youth Mentoring? Good Practice -
Benchmarks and Guidelines

• The Victorian Government has identified the
  following as key characteristics of effective
  mentoring
• Clear vision, purpose and values
• Collaboration with relevant agencies / schools /
  community groups
• Policies and procedures
• Screening of mentors
• Orientation and training
• Matching process
• Ongoing support and supervision
• Selection of mentors
• Length of match
• Managed closure
• Evaluation process

12
What is Youth Mentoring? Good Practice -
Benchmarks and Guidelines

• The Youth Mentoring Networks draft National
  Youth Mentoring Benchmarks cover the following
  key areas
• Program design and planning
• Program evaluation
• Organisational governance and management
• Program operations recruitment, selection and
  screening of mentors, training and development,
  matching, monitoring and supporting the match,
  closing the match

13
What is Youth Mentoring? Good Practice
Benchmarking Resources

• Youth Mentoring Network
• National Mentoring Benchmarks (2000 and updated
  version soon) - http//www.youthmentoring.org.au/b
  enchmarks.php
• Victorian Government
• A Guide to Effective Practice for Mentoring
  Young People (2006) http//www.youth.vic.gov.au
  /Web21/ofy/dvcofy.nsf/allDocs/RWPF406D48BE9611B6FC
  A2570F400726787?OpenDocument
• Guide to Supporting Effective Mentoring Programs
  for Mentoring Young People (2007) - will be
  available online shortly

14
What is Youth Mentoring? Good Practice
Articles and Research

• Thinking Big, The Age, 4th July 2006 -
  http//www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/thinking-bi
  g/2006/07/04/1151778931335.html3E?page3
• Jean E. Rhodes, Youth Mentoring in Perspective,
  The Encyclopaedia of Informal Education -
  http//www.infed.org/learningmentors/youth_mentori
  ng_in_perspective.htm
• Jean Baldwin Grossman (ed), Contemporary Issues
  in Mentoring - http//www.ppv.org/ppv/publication
  s/assets/37_publication.pdf

15
What is Youth Mentoring? Good Practice
Mentoring Programs
16
What is Youth Mentoring? Victorian Youth
Mentoring Alliance (VYMA)

• Emma Green, Program Coordinator
• Melbourne Metropolitan Youth Mentoring
  Implementation Coordination (MMYMIC)
• Victorian Youth Mentoring Alliance -
  www.youthmentoringvic.org.au
• Ph 03 8412 7355
• Fax [phone]
• Post PO Box 6017, Collingwood Nth VIC 3066

17
Regional Mentoring SupportRegional Context
Peak Bodies and Govt Policy

• Peak Associations
• Australia - Youth Mentoring Network
• Victoria - Victorian Youth Mentoring Alliance
• Government Policies
• A Fairer Victoria - http//www.youth.vic.gov.au/We
  b14/dvc/dvcmain.nsf/AllDocs/BA66A032F874AC59CA2572
  D00026A891?OpenDocument
• Leading the Way The Victorian Governments
  Strategic Framework on Mentoring Young People -
  http//www.youth.vic.gov.au/Web21/ofy/rwpgslib.nsf
  /GraphicFiles/LeadingTheWay/file/LeadingtheWay.pd
  f
• Office for Youth Mentoring and Capacity Building
  Initiative - http//www.youth.vic.gov.au/web21/ofy
  /dvcofy.nsf/headingpagesdisplay/grantsandprogram
  smentoring
• Future Directions An Action Agenda for Young
  Victorians - http//www.youth.vic.gov.au/Web21/ofy
  /rwpgslib.nsf/GraphicFiles/0806-36FutureDirections
  /file/0806-36FutureDirections.pdf
• Blueprint for Victorian Government Schools -
  http//www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/blueprint/

18
Regional Mentoring SupportRegional Context BGK
Region

• Very few youth mentoring programs in the BGK
  community
• No formal youth mentoring programs in secondary
  schools
• Bayside City Council Report Improving the Lives
  of Young People in Bayside A Survey of Risk and
  Protective Factors and Community Prevention
  Planning
• City of Kingston Youth Strategy 2007 2010
  aims to promote the development of well
  connected, helthy and positive young people
• BGK LLEN
• School Focused Youth Service (SFYS)
• Youth Commitment
• How could the region be supported to increase
  access to mentoring for young people?

19
Regional Mentoring SupportTwo Models

• BGK LLEN has identified two models for supporting
  the growth of quality youth mentoring programs in
  the region
• Regional Youth Mentoring Network
• Coordinated Regional Mentoring Support Service

20
Regional Mentoring SupportRegional Youth
Mentoring Network - Need

• Bring local expertise together
• Reduce professional isolation
• Enhance the development of existing youth
  mentoring programs
• Support the introduction of new youth mentoring
  programs
• Provide opportunities for practice, planning and
  professional development
• Raise the profile of youth mentoring in the local
  community
• BGK LLEN can facilitate meetings, training
  sessions, administration
• Victorian Youth Mentoring Alliance support
• The BGK Youth Mentoring Network aims to
  influence the development of youth mentoring,
  foster a community of good mentoring practice by
  providing a regional hub for practice, planning
  and professional development, and raise the
  profile of youth mentoring in the community.

21
Regional Mentoring Support Regional Youth
Mentoring Network - Exploring the Role

• Best methods for maximising network outcomes?
• Professional development topics / themes?
• Are any key agencies missing?

22
Regional Mentoring SupportCoordinated Regional
Mentoring Support Service

• Implementation requirements
• Further development of the model, guiding
  principles, costs
• Partnership consortium approach (the Network?)
• Identify a Lead Agency
• Source funding (likely and possible funding
  sources)
• Questions
• Is this the best model for growing youth
  mentoring or are there other models that could
  achieve objectives?
• Interested agencies?

23
Next Steps

• Future meetings
• Professional development
• Coordinated Support Model meeting