A NEW one-on-one mentoring program will be available to Bendigo students from term two.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Students in years eight and nine at Crusoe College and Bendigo South East College will be eligible to participate in the Raise Foundation program.
Raise's program director Kathleen Vella said the 22-week program would help students build confidence and resilience.
Read other news:
"They will have one hour a week with their mentor where they can talk about anything they want to talk about," she said. "There's also a set curriculum to work through each week.
"The students are not provided with answers but the tools and skills to be more resilient."
Crusoe College principal Brad Madden said the program was a great opportunity for his students.
"There is a real need for young people to form strong, supportive networks with members of their community, and through these networks build confidence and resilience," Mr Madden said.
"We are expecting the benefits of the program to serve the students throughout their school life and beyond."
The Raise Foundation is looking to recruit at least 30 volunteers from the community to support students at the two schools.
Ms Vella said the volunteers would need to be over the age of 21, be able to commit to two hours of volunteering a week, have a police check, and have a valid working with children's check.
There were six online training modules mentors would need to complete before they started, along with one group training session.
"Most of our mentors usually stay for about three years," Ms Vella said. "People have such a wonderful experience they decide to volunteer year-on-year."
Ms Vella said the Raise Foundation would be holding the mentoring program at 23 schools across the state this year.
While the program would only be offered at Crusoe College and Bendigo South East College, Ms Vella said Raise was looking to expand the program to other Bendigo schools in the future.
"We would love to offer our program to every government high school," she said.
The mentoring program will start in term two and run at Crusoe College on Wednesdays from 9.20am to 11.20am, and at Bendigo South East College on Tuesdays from 10.35am to 12.35pm.
Ms Vella said more information about the program and mentoring could be found at raise.org.au/mentor
"Even though we are starting in term two, now is the time to sign up and prepare - don't wait," she said. "We need you to raise your hand to volunteer."
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.