Transcript Forward Together - Youth Mentoring in Aotearoa, New Zealand

Forward Together - Youth
Mentoring in Aotearoa,
New Zealand
Lesley Tobin
Dusseldorp Skills Forum
Youth Mentoring Network
Summary
The Australian experience - how it relates to NZ
 Why do we need Youth Mentoring Programs?
 What makes a great program?
 Benchmarks
 Asking some hard questions
 Setting the scene for discussion
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Mentoring Experiences
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Benefits for Mentees/Students
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Raised self-esteem & confidence
Tap into mentor’s networks
A sounding board for ideas and suggestions
Benefits for Mentors
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Feeling valued
Community capacity building
Networking with like -minded people
Intergenerational communication
Why do we need Mentoring?
Work and school no longer sanctuaries
 Breakdown of marriage and growth of divorce
 Prevalence of narcotic drugs, self-harm and suicide
 Imbalance of work and family life
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The Statistics
In New Zealand (2002)
 13.3% of all households jobless
 31% jobless households with working-aged Maoris
 44% of jobless households raising children
Susan G Singley and Paul Callister, Polarisation of Employment, 1986–2002:New
Zealand in the international context, Centre for Social Research and Evaluation,
Working Paper 06/04, July 2004
Australian Benchmarks of Good Practice
Developed and revised by experienced practitioners
(2000 and 2007)
 Indications of quality and minimum standards
 Used to guide the development, management and
funding of quality mentoring programs
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Program Design and Planning
 Clear
program parameters
 Consultation with relevant stakeholders;
 Program management guidelines - governance structures,
policies and procedures
 Recruitment of skilled, paid coordinator
 Detailed action plan for program implementation
 Systematic plan for evaluation
Program Evaluation
 Assess
effectiveness
 Dedicated evaluation budget
 Evaluation team, representative of stakeholders
 Clearly defined outcomes reflecting program mission & objectives
 Plan to assess program outcomes AND processes
 System to collate, analyse and interpret data
 Findings reported to all stakeholders
 Plan to incorporate the evaluation findings
Yes… No… Don’t Know/ Not Sure
In your mentoring program
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Are the mentors allowed to buy their mentees gifts?
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Are the mentors permitted to meet at McDonald’s for a drink?
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Yes No Don’t Know
Are the mentors allowed to transport their mentee in their car?
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Yes No Don’t Know
Are the mentors and mentees allowed to exchange telephone numbers?
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Yes No Don’t Know
Yes No Don’t Know
Is the pair allowed to meet at the mentee’s home?
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Yes No Don’t Know
Organisational Governance and Management
 Clear
mission and vision statements
 Statement of purpose
 Strategic alignment with the organisation’s mission and vision
 Skilled, paid co-ordinator
Organisational Governance and Management
 Policies
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and procedures which document:
Legal responsibilities
Insurance
Privacy and confidentiality
Occupational Health and Safety
Risk Management and Duty of Care
Values and Ethics
Grievance
Operational management
Rights and responsibilities
Employment and industrial issues
Organisational Governance and Management
 An
advisory group that has a focus on implementation
 A comprehensive information management system that
includes:
 Financial records
 Personnel records
 Program activity
 Evaluation data
Organisational Governance and Management
 Program
sustainability :
 Collaborative alliances/arrangements
 Long term and diverse funding and support;
 High public profile members from the local community.
 Staff development and support plan;
 Established public relations/communications plan
Yes or No ?
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It is the middle of winter and you are the mentor to a 12 year old boy.
He is from a very poor family and has three younger brothers. You
arrange to meet at the park. Your mentee turns up wearing a long
sleeved shirt and no jacket – he is obviously very cold. You take him
straight to the department store and buy him a coat.
 Is that OK?
You go to collect your mentee to go on an outing and his mum greets
you at the door with a request to post some letters for her on the way.
 Is this OK?
Yes or No ?
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It is the first time you and your mentee are meeting. You are very
nervous (and no doubt so is your mentee). The program you are in is
based around friendship and meeting on weekends. Any costs
incurred in outings are at your expense. You decide to impress your
mentee and show how much you care about her by taking her to the
Auckland Snow Planet.
 Is this a good idea?
Program Operations
Six core practice areas
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Recruitment
Selecting and Screening
Training and Development
Matching
Monitoring and Supporting the Match
Closing the Match
Recruitment of Mentors AND Mentees
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Targeted recruitment strategy in line with the identified purposes and
participants of the program.
Program information that includes:
 Role expectations
 Time commitment
 Duration of the relationship
 Selection and Screening processes
 Training and Development requirements
 Matching Processes
 Monitoring and Support offered by the Program
 Closure Procedures
Selecting and Screening of Mentors
 Formal
application and assessment process;
 Personal Interview of mentors;
 Minimum of two referee checks;
 Adherence to all relevant legislation
 Relevant Child Protection/Safety checks for all prospective
mentors of young people;
 National criminal history check for prospective mentors;
 Willingness of prospective mentors to participate in training
and development.
Training and Development
 An
information session for mentors and mentees that includes:
 An overview of the program;
 Clarification of roles and responsibilities;
 Description of eligibility, screening process, and suitability
requirements;
 Clarification of the level of commitment expected
 A written summary of program policies, procedures and
guidelines.
Training and Development
 An
effective training program for mentors that includes:
 Skilled and experienced trainers;
 Mentor training materials that are adapted to
address the issues most relevant to the program, the
mentees who participate and the mentors
 Ongoing skill development as appropriate
Quote from a Mentor
‘Brenda and I have struggled. The first issue was trust. I had
to do almost all of the calling for about 6 to 8 months into the
program. Now, she’ll call here and there. It’s hard to get her
to talk …..so it took a little while and we still don’t interact the
way I envisaged it going.’
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see t his picture.
Matching
 Well
defined criteria for matching, linking program’s statement
of purpose and eligibility
 Personal profiles of both mentors and mentees
 Clearly articulated and defined matching processes
 Understanding and agreement by all stakeholders of the terms
and conditions of program participation.
Monitoring and Supporting the Match
 Appropriate
and safe locations for the mentor and
mentee to meet
 A process to review relationship expectations
 Opportunities for regular scheduled feedback,
debriefing, troubleshooting and support
 Contact, at least monthly, to monitor the frequency of
meetings
 Contact, at least quarterly, to review quality of the
relationship
 Training and development which meets the identified
needs of the mentors
Monitoring and Supporting the Match
 Recognition
of the mentor’s contribution;
 Assistance for mentors and mentees who are
experiencing difficulties within the relationship;
 Written records of all contact between program
personnel and mentor/mentee;
 A process for managing grievances, recognition, rematching, interpersonal problem solving and
premature termination of the mentoring relationship
 Appropriate support resources and materials
Closing the Match
 Recognition
of participation
 Formal closure policy with clear procedures for exiting the
program and future contact
 Notification to all relevant stakeholders of the closure of the
match
 Exit process for those who wish to terminate the relationship
prematurely
 A transition policy to assist mentees to define the next steps to
continue achieving personal goals.
A Dose of Reality!
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Won’t solve all the problems in youth development
etc
Should be situated within a broader youth development context
Complementary policy approaches and social and legislative
arrangements
More rigorous study of impacts
Evidence-based research
Research Agenda
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Systematic review, trials, evaluations, strong qualitative and
quantitative work
Short-term, intermittent mentoring less successful, even
damaging
Lack of knowledge of long-term impact
 How many trained mentors?
 Scale of need and desire?
 Engaging business, schools,
communities?
 Sustainability?
Youth Mentoring Network
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Four of the leading mentoring organisations in true
partnership with the Federal Govt
Not responsible for funding or grant decisions
Networking and sharing good practice, training and
professional development for program co-ordinators
Means for sharing and developing resources
Benchmarks and web-based self-assessment tool (soon!)
www.youthmentoring.org.au
QuickT i me™ and a
T IFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this pi cture.
Final thoughts….
Education is…an expression of affection for children and young
people, whom we need to welcome into society, unreservedly offering
them the place that is theirs by right therein – a place in the education
system, to be sure, but also in the family, the local community and the
nation.
QuickT ime™ and a
T IFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
ar e needed to see t his pictur e.
Jacques Delors
UNESCO International Commission for
Education in the 21st Century