When Sarah Constable and Nikki* meet for coffee or a walk in St Albans, they look like old friends catching up for a chat.
They talk about movies, television shows, music, their pets and families.
However, the lives of Sarah and Nikki only intersected earlier this year thanks to early intervention program Women And Mentoring (WAM).
WAM supports women and non-binary people who are in contact with the justice system, offering them support and friendship in their local community.
Volunteers use their life experiences to empower women to make change in their lives.
Sarah, who has worked as a mental health nurse and is now a paramedic, became involved with WAM after seeing a Facebook advertisement calling for volunteers.
“I work full time in the ambulance service now and missed working with marginalised populations,“ Sarah said.
“Most of WAM’s clients are referred from the justice system and may have concerns with housing and drug and alcohol addiction. I’ve worked a lot in that space and feel comfortable in that aspect. I wanted to reconnect with someone in that position and see them grow and meet their goals.“
Sarah underwent training provided by WAM before being matched with Nikki and receives ongoing support from fellow mentors through peer supervision.
She and Nikki meet weekly or fortnightly in the community.
“We mostly go for a walk or get a coffee and talk about what is going on in each other’s lives,“ Sarah explained.
“I am there to help if she’s struggling. I can link her in with services, I can attend appointments or provide assistance with collating documents or go to the library with her to print documents.“
Sarah said she is enjoying walking beside Nikki on her journey towards a more positive life.
“Often women don’t have people they can trust. As an outside person with no vested interest it is nice to hold that space for someone to allow them to trust another person in their life and allow them to navigate a healthy relationship and model those behaviours.
“Doing this has helped me understand what other people face and their barriers and by default, that makes you appreciate your own life.“
WAM chief executive Tricia Ciampa said more volunteer mentors are needed in the west.
“Over the past few years we have seen demand for our mentoring service increase across the western suburbs. Approximately 17% of referrals are for women living between Moonee Valley and Melton, and also Wyndham. It would be ideal to recruit 20 wonderful volunteers, women and non-binary folk, from these areas to help us establish a reliable pool of mentors to draw from,“ she said.
“Attracting volunteer mentors from the local area is so critical – you have local knowledge of services, you are comfortable getting about your area on public transport, and you are also helping build the capacity of people in your community to create positive change.“
Ms Ciampa said mentors do not need specialist skills or knowledge but must be available during the week to meet with their participant.
To get involved phone 0403 583 648 or go to www.womenandmentoring.org.au
* not her real name
