One To One Mentoring

Since its inception, MPYEP has built mentoring relationships between adults and young people in Millers Point. The mentoring program supports a key goal of the Partnership that the young people of Millers Point: ‘Have confidence, positive self-esteem and feel empowered to make life choices’.

Adults from Lend Lease and young people from the local high schools and the Millers Point Mott Youth Centre can volunteer to be in a mentoring relationship.

Our mentors aim to provide friendship and support to each young person, responding specifically to their unique needs and life circumstances. At the same time our mentors not only develop their mentoring skills, but find a unique opportunity for personal growth.

Mentors and their buddies choose how and where they spend time together. They can play sport, do homework together, have a chat over a coffee or even text each other. The duration of relationship is the choice of those involved but typically run for 12 months.

Mentoring relationships are formed in two ways.

1. Organised

• From time to time the Partnership seeks volunteers for the mentoring programme who are then matched with young people via a formal process.

2. Emerging

• Some relationships form naturally as a result of other Partnership programmes that bring adults and young people together.

All mentoring relationships are supported with training, supervision, communication and recognition. To ensure high standards of mentoring and child protection, all adults applying to be mentors must complete the TAFE certificate in community mentoring and undergo relevant police checks. Young people under the age of 18 require parental consent to participate. Mentoring relationships
are reviewed annually by a qualified social worker/case worker.

Activate Leadership Programme

Activate Australia is a not-for-profit organization which provides leadership development programmes for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in Victoria. We have developed a relationship with Activate Australia to run a programme specifically for young people from Millers Point.

We take approximately 12 young people to Milson Island on the Hawkesbury River where a week-long residential program is run by Activate staff. The programme focuses on building team work, confidence and self-esteem. At the end of the residential, graduates receive a Certificate of Attendance and Certificate I in Work Preparation, a nationally recognized VET qualification.

We conduct 1-2 programs per year, preferring to work intensely with small groups. Our hope is that the graduates will start to take leadership roles and responsibilities in Millers Point, leading to generational change.

The Year 6 to Year 7 Transition Programme

The Year 6 to Year 7 Transition Programme aims to benefit the young people in Millers Point who are currently attending Year 6 at Fort Street Primary School and entering Year 7 at Secondary School.

The programme seeks to give these young people:

• valuable mentor support during a difficult period of transition.
• an awareness of youth support services and the local community centre.
• a positive attitude towards school and education.
• Increased self-confidence and self-esteem.
• Increased self-reliance and resilience.
• positive reinforcement and role modelling

The programme takes place in November prior to the end of the school year. An orientation day is held at Sydney Secondary College, Balmain for all participants. Young people and mentors start with a tour of the school, guided by a senior student from the college. The second part of the day consists of a sample lesson and then an informal barbeque and activities at the local Abraham Mott Youth Centre.

The day aims to build friendships and develop each student’s personal support network.

The Year 6 to Year 7 Transition Programme provides our young people with a unique level of personal support from people they know and trust – their mentors from the Reading Friends Programme.

Rocksfest

Rocksfest is an ongoing programme offering Millers Point youth first-hand experience in event management. The programme allows our young people to plan, coordinate and operate a community event that showcases the talents of local youth.

We take approximately 12 young people to Milson Island on the Hawkesbury River where a week-long residential program is run by Activate staff. The programme focuses on building team work, confidence and self-esteem. At the end of the residential, graduates receive a Certificate of Attendance and Certificate I in Work Preparation, a nationally recognized VET qualification.

There have been three successful events held to date:

Rocksfest 05 – Short Film Festival
Rocksfest 06- Talent Quest
Rocksfest 07 – Youth Sports Day
Rocksfest 08 - Art exhibition as part of the Millers Point Festival.

Rocksfest events are all coordinated and run by a Youth Committee overseen by Partnership members and staff from Millers Point Youth Centre.

Reading Friends Programme

The Reading Friends Programme is one of the Millers Point Youth and Employment Partnership’s outstanding success stories. Reading Friends are volunteers from Lend Lease and Westpac who spend time in the classroom each week to assist students develop reading, comprehension and writing skills.

Our volunteers complete a two day training course at TAFE. This gives them the skills they need to develop the literacy skills of the students they work with.

Once our volunteers or ‘Reading Friends’ are matched up with a student they meet with that student for one hour each week in the classroom.

Students are given appropriate books with specific activities. The Reading Friend and the student read a book together and then complete a variety of comprehension and writing tasks. At the end of each session students and their Reading Friend write about their learning, their progress and any future learning needs in a journal. The class teacher is available for support throughout the session.

This outstanding programme has produced a marked improvement in our students’ literacy skills reflected in improved results for our students from their Basic Skills Test in Year 5 to the Ella Test in Year 7.

Our students have also received a boost to their confidence and self-esteem. Reading Friends provide students with positive role models and relationships, and give them an extra support system. Most students develop a strong friendship with their Reading Friend and both parties look forward to the weekly visits.

The Bike Programme

In our bike programme our young people assemble a bike and learn road safety and riding skills. A group of mentors support the young people participating in the programme. Young men between the ages of 14–21 were the original target group for the programme but due to its success it is now open to all our young people aged 12–24.

The bike programme was developed in partnership with Clarence Street Cyclery and the Cyclery run the programme as an in-kind donation to MPYEP.

There’s no doubt our bike programme is fun – it’s oversubscribed this year – but it’s also teaching participants skills for life. They learn that if you make a commitment to start something and see it through to the end, you’ll be rewarded. In the case of our programme, young people who attend all three days get to keep the bicycle!