Youth Mentoring - Regional Coordination [30.06.2009]

Mowalu Zarwue, mentee, and Monique Chappel, mentor, celebrating Youth Mentoring Week 2008

The Trust and the State Government, through the Office for Youth, Department of Planning and Community Development, have agreed to continue support for the development of Youth Mentoring across the state for 2010 and 2011.

The Trust approved funding of $300,000 over the next two years for three of the six regions involved. Each region is represented through a lead agency and these were awarded $100,000 each, namely Brophy Family and Youth Services (Barwon South West region), North East Support and Action for Youth (Hume region) and St Luke’s Anglicare (Loddon Mallee region). Under the collaborative project, the State Government funds the other three regions of the State.

Each agency provides the coordination of youth mentoring projects in their region, the identification and documentation of best practice mentoring models, capacity building support for organisations to improve the quality of youth mentoring, and the development of cross-sectoral approaches to youth mentoring.

This builds on the success of the first two years of the program, as demonstrated by the independent formal review undertaken by Victoria University, and will ensure the retention of key staff and the further development of youth mentoring.