“Even though I have only been involved in the mentoring program at Youth Futures WA for 3 months, the relationship that myself and my mentee Tom have built is very supportive, encouraging and fun.

Youth Futures issues all their mentors with a mobile phone, which can be used to contact their mentees to organise activities and to have general catch ups when face to face meetings are not available. I discussed appropriate times with Tom that he can phone me on the mentoring phone to have a chat or if he needs support with anything that he is struggling with. The mentor/mentee relationship can be described as safe, friendly and fun that is always based around the interests and strengths of the mentee. Allowing the mentee to make decisions develops high self esteem as well as self-confidence.

During the first and second meetings I went through an action plan with Tom. This included all the goals and tasks that he wanted to achieve, which I as his mentor could support him with, as well as listing new activities that he would like to try and learn more about. The action plan not only helped Tom decide what he wants to improve on it also acted as a guide for the activities and meetings we organised with one another. For example, one of Tom’s goals was to become more organized and to make more friends. One of our activities that we decided to do was to get ice cream and go through Tom’s diary to organise all his appointments and homework etc. Tom and I frequently go to local cafes and leisure zones to informally chat and work on his goals that he set out in his action plan. We have also attended dark light and AMF bowling with other young people, which has vastly improved Tom’s confidence and ability to interact with others.

Always working from the empowerment approach and focusing on the mentee’s strengths and interests ensures that the mentor/mentee relationship is most beneficial for the young person. Tom has often mentions that he thoroughly enjoys catching up to spend time together learning new things and building on his strengths. He also comments that he feels comfortable sharing personal issues to me because I, as a mentor do not have the ‘worker’ title that can sometimes be intimidating and off putting. Overall, I feel Tom and I have a positive relationship that is leading to fantastic outcomes for the both of us.” – Youth Futures WA Mentor

“Based on developing close links with the local indigenous community and regional indigenous communities, the programme aims to maximise a relationship between the School and the community, and allow for a succession of students from the same community to come to Knox, thus making it easier for future boys to come, and also enhancing the boys as role models in their communities. The communities themselves play a large part in selecting the boys, and work with the school in doing so; this also helps to develop and maintain a sense of mutual responsibility and accountability on the part of both community and school.

Currently we have established links with the Shoalhaven Community, centred on the mid-south coat of NSW and with the Karuah / Tea Gardens communities on the mid-north coast. We have boys from both communities at the school at present.

In addition, boys from the local indigenous community have become part of the programme, and are attending the school.

Once enrolled, the boys participate in the full life of the School, academically, culturally, and in co-curricular activities such as sport. Those who are boarders, such as Kayleb Hawkins and Drew Luland, the first Australian Children’s Trust scholarship recipients at Knox, participate fully in our Whole of Life, Outdoor Education and Mentoring programs.” – Martin Gooding, Knox Grammar School