A volunteer mentor at Southern River College says giving just a couple of hours a week can make a real difference in the lives of young people.
Mentor Jesse, a WA volunteer with youth mentoring organisation Raise Foundation, has been supporting students at the Gosnells school through the program, which pairs trained adult mentors with teenagers for regular one-on-one conversations.
Jesse said the decision to volunteer came from a simple desire to help.
“I thought that mentoring young people would be an opportunity to help them in some way and I wanted to give back to the community,” he said.
The Raise program connects trained community volunteers with students aged between 13 and 16 who want extra support as they navigate their teenage years. Mentors meet students at school once a week during the school term.
At Southern River College, mentoring sessions start with a group activity before mentors spend time speaking with their matched student.
“A typical mentoring session involves a group activity with all mentors and students, then one-on-one time with your matched student,” Jesse said.
“Each week, there is a different topic to talk about with them and complete activities.”
Those conversations can cover many parts of a young person’s life.
“Usually, the designated topic for the week would spark initial conversations. Family, friends or school are other common support topics,” he said.
“Students also like to talk about what they’re passionate about, like their favourite hobby.”
Over time, Jesse said one of the biggest changes he sees is how students begin to open up.
“I think the biggest change that we get to see in the students is their trust in people that used to be complete strangers,” he said.
“They become more comfortable with us as mentors due to the safe space we create for them to be themselves.”
Despite the pressures many teenagers face today, Jesse said he has been impressed by their ability to cope.
“I’ve been most surprised at how resilient this generation of young people are,” he said.
“It seems to be a more challenging time to be a teen than ever before yet they’re so capable, despite those challenges.”
The commitment for mentors is relatively small. Jesse spends about two hours a week at the school, plus travel time.
That time, he believes, can have a lasting effect.
“I think programs like the one Raise offers is so important for the community because there are young people that identify needing or wanting a mentor,” he said.
“The program helps to develop skills for the students that extends beyond the program itself.”
Raise is currently seeking more volunteers for the program at Southern River College.
Jesse says the experience has also been rewarding on a personal level.
“Anyone thinking about becoming a mentor with Raise should absolutely give it a try,” he said.
“As much as this program is designed to help young people, mentors also develop skills like active listening, compassion and empathy.”
“These universal skills can be taken back to our homes, families and workplaces. The Raise program is a great format and it’s a really fun and purposeful experience that I look forward to every year.”
