By Shamsiya Hussainpoor
Monbulk Secondary College has collaborated with the ‘Big Brother Big Sister’ mentoring program to set up a safe and effective environment for vulnerable students who need extra support and positive role models.
The mentoring program entails a one-on-one relationship between a caring adult (outside a family) and a student, it requires the mentors to be committed to giving one hour a week for 12 months and they meet at a time that’s suitable to both the mentor and the mentee.
Monbulk College’s involvement in this program is mainly based on the challenges of the last couple of years that have impacted students’ wellbeing.
Students are carefully selected by the school and the wellbeing team and the program will work closely with the school to ensure vulnerable students get the most out of this.
Monbulk College’s community liaison Jeanette Pritchard collaborated with the school to initiate the program.
She received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2023 for her work both in Hamilton and with Big Brother Big Sister in Melbourne.
Ms Pritchard was in charge of building the foundation of the program for the school and over the last three years she managed to raise over $70,000 for the program to commence – without the fundraising, the program would not have happened.
“We raised the funds through grants, local fundraising, and the community but the most important thing is local support, without it, there’s no sustainability to these programs, I hope, and I pray that the community gets on board with this,” she said.
The mentoring program was founded in New York City in the early 1900s, and since it has expanded to 14 countries, and Australia established the program in 1996, mainly based in Melbourne and Sydney.
She was a former teacher in Hamilton, western Victoria, she said she understands the importance of these programs for young people.
“Over 20 years ago, I established a program called “Standing Tall” at the school I was at, it started in one school and now 15 other schools are running it too,” she said.
“During my time as a teacher, I saw some great kids, who weren’t fulfilling their full potential, and I came to see that without meeting their social and emotional needs, the educational outcomes weren’t being met either – it all correlated.
“I’m very passionate about mentoring, because the relationship can make a huge difference in the life of a young person, and it’s all about what these people in the community can bring to the table that’ll benefit our young people – something which teachers don’t have the time for.”
Ms Pritchard didn’t start mentoring until later in her teaching career.
“Things have exacerbated up here with the Covid lockdowns, and then we had the big storm events, the schools are reporting that some kids are really struggling, and that was when I decided to put my efforts into getting a program going,” she said.
At this stage, the program runs only for high school students.
“We’re just working with secondary schools, particularly students in Year Eight and Nine, which is students’ most vulnerable years in the school,” Ms Pritchard said.
Mentors can come from any community and in any age group, but the big call is for men, and they must all share the following attitudes and attributes if considering mentoring:
• care about the wellbeing of young people
• believe every young person has potential
• are willing to share their life experiences
• are willing to discover and build on the strengths of a young person
• are good communicators – particularly good listeners
• are non-judgmental
• have a sense of humour
The mentors are then carefully screened and if found suitable are given both training and support for them to be able to carry out the role.
All mentor roles are volunteer-based.
If interested in becoming a mentor, visit the BBBS portal, scroll down and choose the Monbulk Program, bbbsau.microsoftcrmportals.com/inquiry-form/.
“I have always found that mentors find this an extremely enjoyable experience, I’ve had so many people say that is the best thing they’ve ever done – the joy of making a difference, and to see a young person grow in confidence, is truly rewarding,” Ms Pritchard said.
