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AGM presentation: City by the Sea The Community Connections Annual General Meeting was held in November 2011 and a highlight was the presentation from Dr Gordon Forth on his study of Warrnambool, which explores the town's ... Events & Campaigns | Wednesday, 4 January 2012 Read more |
Reuniting families: the No Int
Moving house costs money, and
Sheepvention 2011
Every August, Community Connec
| Mentors needed for the Alternative Education and Mentoring program |
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The youth of today are the future of tomorrow Here is your chance to make a lasting difference…. "Nothing is more rewarding than helping a young person get back on the right path," says Donna Willoughby, coordinator of a new youth mentoring initiative at Community Connections. Currently seeking new mentors, the Warrnambool-based Alternative Education and Mentoring Program helps traumatised and at-risk young people to stay in education and make positive life choices. Aimed at marginalised 13 to 17 year olds, the program needs new mentors to promote positive outcomes and to act as role models; to provide emotional support and positive feedback; and to become a steady, reliable, constructive presence in the lives of young people. “Mentors can come from any walk of life,” said Ms Willoughby, “but all share the common thread of having a generous spirit and a passion for wanting to see young people grow and succeed. It is also an opportunity for ordinary people to invest in the future of some of the most vulnerable young people in our local community.” During each mentoring journey, young people will spend just an hour or two per week with their mentor, but the commitment is long-term. “Potential mentors must be able to make a strong commitment to building an ongoing relationship with a young person,” Mrs Willoughby said. Mentors will be provided with comprehensive ongoing training and support to gain the skills necessary to positively interact and respond to the particular needs and emotional wellbeing of the young person. “The mentors will learn how to provide effective personal guidance and direction to assist the young person in achieving their goals,” said Ms Willoughby Mentor training will be provided over several short group sessions and will include guest speakers such as specialist psychologists, child welfare staff and people with many years of similar mentoring experiences who will share information and their stories.For potential mentors it is about taking a chance to be able to really connect with another person, and of knowing that you are really important in the life of another human being. It is taking a step outside of the square that they live in, and into the possibility of a new and unique friendship through the simple joy of sharing a laugh, a meal, footy, fishing, a drive, music, a coffee or just hanging out with each other. Funded by the RM Ansett Trust, regular meetings with young people began in August 2011. |