Cade Lucas
Dozens of vulnerable youth in Melton in need of adult mentors are going without due to an ongoing shortage.
Youth services social enterprise Sparkways run a mentoring program for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds across the western suburbs.
Yet despite repeated appeals over the last year, Melton, along with Brimbank and Wyndham, still face a shortage of adults willing to be mentors as the number of young people in need of them continues to grow.
“We have over 20 young people in Melton who need a mentor at moment,” said Sparkways team leader Fletcher Curnow, adding that the demographics of Melton make filling the shortfall particularly challenging.
“I think it’s a high need area and it’s a growing community as well.”
Sparkways currently have about four mentors matched in Melton with a young person, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds, have experienced trauma, have a disability or come from broken homes.
He said that once young people in the program are matched with the right mentor, the benefits to them are obvious.
“They get the opportunity to build connections with positive adult role models, which they are often lacking, and therefore they get to set and achieve goals that are important to them such as improved social skills, employment, confidence, self-esteem and important life skills,” Mr Curnow said.
According to Sparkways 100 per cent of young people report feeling happier, and more confident after being matched with a mentor for at least a year, while 82 per cent report being more aware of how to take care of their own needs and 78 per cent say they know more about how to support their friends.
Three-quarters say they know more about how to look after themselves, while 70 per cent report an interest in pursuing further education.
In order for this to happen though, appropriate mentors need to be found, with Mr Curnow saying finding men willing to become mentors was especially difficult, with most of their applicants being women.
The program is open to adults of all ages and Mr Curnow said eligibility requirements weren’t stringent.
“We provide lots of training and support and really the main thing we need is people who are willing to give back, have lots of empathy and a willingness to learn.”
Mentorships involve fortnightly catch-ups over a 12 months period.
Details: sparkways.org.au/mentoring/sparkways-mentoring-program
