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VYMA E-News December 2011

QUALITY PRACTICE

Promoting Your Youth Mentoring Program - Some Tips

As another successful year of youth mentoring draws to a close we can all take a deep breath and reflect on the year that was.
 
• What was the most significant moment for your program in 2011?
• What would you like to change in 2012?
• What changes are likely to occur in 2012, whether you like it or not?

Right now is the perfect time to use the answers to these questions to plan for next year. In particular, how do you want others to think of your program in 2012? In promoting your program to the public, stakeholders and young people what is it that you want to say? How and why do you want to say it?

Your program is competing for space in the hearts and minds of people in your community, not only with other youth programs but also with the latest celebrity scandals and consumer advertisements. Therefore, developing a personality, (tone or voice), for your program that appeals to your audience is critical in capturing their attention.

Do you want to come across as: experienced, innovative, passionate, fun, traditional, expert, local, global, conventional, accessible, desperate for assistance, the underdog?

Once you have a sense of what your tone will be in your promotional materials and communications you need to be clear about who you are communicating with. It is important that you understand your audience as well as possible.

• How would you describe your target audience if they walked into your office?
• How old are they?
• How would they talk?
• What kind of education have they had to date?
• What do they value?

Knowing your target audience will help you develop clear messages that will appeal to them and in turn persuade them to take the action you are seeking.

Utilising the experience and testimonies of of current mentors and mentees is one way to ensure your communications messages are authentic and compelling to your audience. The use of personal stories about what young people and mentors have gained as a result of being involved in your program, and youth mentoring in a broader sense, can be particularly engaging and thought provoking.

The VYMA Faces of Youth Mentoring project illustrates one way you can utilise the voices of young people and mentors in your program.
 
Check out the diverse array of voices that shine through in the stories and the skills and experiences the matches have gained from their respective programs.

If you have a video about your mentoring program VYMA would love to share it with a wider audience via our website. Simply upload the clip to You Tube (by following these easy steps), send us the link and we will share it on the webpage.

For more information:
Ballasy L. 2004 Marketing for the Recruitment of Mentors, National Mentoring Center, United States
http://www.hootville.com/marketing-bridges-to-cross
 

 

Melton Celebrates Mentoring

By Lauren Holst

I was fortunate enough to attend the Melton Youth Mentoring Project Gala Dinner as part of Youth Mentoring Week. Program Coordinator, Eve Repo did a fantastic job of organising an event that truly valued and celebrated the contributions of both the young people and mentors to the program.

From the classy function room at Witchmount Winery to a great performance by a local band and the unveiling of the new program logo, the night was full of wonderful moments. The level of support for the program from Melton Shire Council was evident by the attendance of the Mayor, several councillors and senior management staff.

Some fantastic (and hilarious) photos of each of the matches accompanied the presentation of certificates celebrating the number of months or years each had been matched.

The program logo was unveiled on the night. It has been designed for use on internal documents relating to the project as well as jumpers to be produced for young people involved in the program. The development of the logo involved a number of focus group sessions with a small group of mentees and the project worker discussing what the program meant to them and how to best represent this in a logo.

The logo features two silhouettes representing a mentor and mentee looking towards the future together.

The mentees spoke of the friendship, connection and support they experienced in their relationships with their mentors - and how these relationships brought brightness and hope to their lives.

That it was such a fantastic night was demonstrated by the large number of people on the dance floor by 8:30pm!
 

 

Warrnambool Promotes Mentoring to Business

A collection of diverse mentoring programs keen to attract support from business showcased their successes at an event in Warrnambool during Youth Mentoring Week.

Brophy Family and Youth Services, held a presentation aimed at getting local businesses involved in mentoring programs in the Barwon/South West region, including Kids Hope Australia, Warrnambool Clontarf Academy, Standing Tall, Apprentice Mentoring; Career Link and Brophy’s Leaving Care Mentoring.

Speaking at the event was Ty Clarke, 17, from the Warrnambool Clontarf Foundation who told the audience that prior to participating in the mentoring program he had no expectation of finishing Year 12.

He said a year ago he did not like going to school but the program, which exists to improve the education, discipline, self-esteem, life-skills and employment opportunities of young aboriginal men, gave him a reason to turn up.

Ty has now finished Year 12 and is looking for a cabinet making apprenticeship to secure his future.

 

YOUTH MENTORING STORIES

From Exile to Expert - an Inspiring Mentoring Story

Former Afghan refugee Temur Rezaie is about to achieve a long held dream and see his life come full circle.

The 24-year-old who fled Afghanistan twice, first as a 2-year-old during the Russian invasion and again as a 12-year-old under persecution as a member of the Hazara ethnic minority. He has spent most of his life in cramped refugee camps across three countries but is now setting out on a career as an international aid and development worker.

Temur lays much of the credit for his bright future at the feet of his mentor Usha Rao, 60, who has supported Temur in completing his Bachelor of Social Sciences degree.

He says Mrs Rao, who volunteered through the Latrobe University Career Mentoring program, has urged him to follow his passion for aid work and turn it into a career.

“Many people say your past is not your future, but I know my past has played a great role in deciding my future,” Temur said.

“And my mentor has helped me focus on the career I want to pursue. She’s organised work experience for me and she has enhanced my employability.”

Mrs Rao, who has been a volunteer mentor for four years, said mentoring Temur and other young people had been “very rewarding”.

“It’s lovely being with young people and supporting them and seeing them take their first steps in their careers. And they all have interesting stories to tell about their lives,” she said. Program coordinator Denise Egan said it was pleasing to see positive outcomes from mentoring programs.

“The support and guidance mentees like Temur receive from their career mentors leads to enhanced career decision making and opportunities to develop professional networks. We also observe substantial increases in our mentees’ confidence in their ability to achieve their career goals by the end of the program,” Ms Egan said.

Applications are now open to volunteer as a Career Mentor in 2012. The program gives mentors an opportunity to share their knowledge and experience with La Trobe University students and new graduates who are just starting out on their career journey.

Anyone interested in becoming a Career Mentor in 2012 please contact Denise at: mentoring@latrobe.edu.au
 

RESEARCH 

Victorian Research Synthesis Shows Cost Savings and Benefits

In October 2011 the Victorian Youth Mentoring Alliance, the Office for Youth (OFY) and the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust (HMST) commissioned the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, to bring together recent, high quality research evidence about the value and effectiveness of youth mentoring.

The report shows that well managed mentoring programs with effective relationships between mentors and mentees can produce a range of positive outcomes for young people. The report said that youth mentoring:

*Is an effective early intervention strategy that can lessen the risk of young people engaging in risky behaviours

*Provides an avenue for young people to develop skill sets they are unable to access elsewhere, and;

*Create a mechanism to ensure continued social inclusion and community connection.

The report also found evidence that mentoring can produce a range of positive development outcomes, including leadership, communication, self-esteem and social development; as well as instrumental outcomes such as improved academic results and reduced truancy.

Importantly, the report linked youth mentoring with studies showing cost savings for early intervention stating that “early intervention delivers significant cost savings for society and governments by reducing young people’s immediate and longer term reliance on the government.’

“The literature has demonstrated that disadvantaged young people who are socially isolated and disconnected are disproportionately more likely to make poor choices and engage in destructive behaviours – such as criminal activity, and drug or alcohol abuse. These destructive behaviours ultimately result in reliance on the government in a vast array of areas – including health care, income support, and housing, and can result in loss of productivity,” the report said.

“These outcomes are very costly to the government, especially when extrapolated for the young person’s lifetime and when intergenerational impacts are considered. Even when early intervention has limited effect (e.g. is effective for only a small percentage of the youth population), the financial savings to government are potentially very significant,” it said.

Click here to review the Research Synthesis Report.

Realising their Potential – A Survey of Young People in Youth Mentoring

A Victorian Youth Mentoring Alliance survey of 153 young people in mentoring programs in found they were benefiting significantly from improved education, health, life and career pathway outcomes.

The study Realising their Potential – A Survey of Young People in Youth Mentoring, the first of its kind carried out in Australia, found that young people also gained confidence and improved self esteem as a result of mentoring programs.

The survey found:
* 78 percent of respondents said they were less likely to use drugs or alcohol as a result of being in a mentoring program;
* 81 percent said they went to school more often;
* 93 percent said they knew where to go for help;
* 90 percent said they had a more positive view of their futures;
*87 percent said they felt more confident;
* 79 percent had a clearer idea of what they wanted to do in the future, and;
* 75 percent said they knew more about education, training and work options available to them.

The survey, conducted by Survey Matters, also found: females reported slightly better outcomes than males; longer mentoring periods often resulted in greater positive change in behaviour and attitude, and; more regular meetings with a mentor resulted in better outcomes in improved behaviour, reduction in alcohol and drug use as well as better relationships.

The study, carried out through online and paper surveys between July and September 2011, was intended to give a broad indication of the effects of youth mentoring. It was designed to seek out what changes occur in respect to: greater confidence and self esteem, school attendance and achievements, reduction in negative behaviour, the use of drugs & alcohol and awareness of pathways towards higher education and employment.

“Overall, the feedback indicates that young people have gained a number of benefits as a result of having a volunteer mentor in their lives,” said report author and VYMA Executive Officer Sarah Johnson.

“The survey confirmed what international research has already found, that youth mentoring is an effective way of providing young people with a supportive and enriching experience. Early intervention through youth mentoring programs can reduce disengagement, and help young people lead fulfilling and productive lives,” Ms Johnson said.

Click here to read the full report