On Tuesday, October 19, eleven Year 8 students attended a graduation of the 2021 Narrabri High School RAISE program with their mentors and RAISE coordinator Lorna Szymanski, via Zoom.

Incorporated into high school curriculums across Australia is the RAISE program, where the foundation matches young people to a caring, independent volunteer mentor each week, with time to listen just to them.

The evidence-based program provides one-on-one support with a mentor empowering young people to talk through life’s challenges and help them cope better, today and in the future.

The teenage years can be tough.

Mission Australia’s annual youth survey 2020 indicates that one in four teenagers are unhappy with their lives and the impact of the pandemic, lockdown and border closures have not helped.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Wellness (2021), 36 per cent of youth aged 13-17 have indicated that the pandemic has negatively impacted their anxiety and stress.

A survey of Headspace service users showed that 74 per cent experienced worsened mental health since the onset of the pandemic, and 86 per cent reported negative effects on their wellbeing, mood and sleeping habits.

Starting up a conversation with teenagers is a rewarding exercise for the volunteer mentors.

Narrabri local, author and mentor Chris Taylor said: “Giving a young person the opportunity to connect with and talk to an adult who is non-judgemental, trustworthy and supportive is invaluable.

“To see a young person’s confidence and self-esteem blossom and grow is an amazing gift for any RAISE mentor. It is what keeps me coming back, year after year”.

“One of the best scientific predictors of how any child develops in terms of happiness, academic success, leadership skills, and meaningful relationships is whether at least one adult has consistently shown up for them,” Alan Faust, NSW state manager for RAISE said.

“Narrabri High has the wellbeing of their students top of mind and recognises that support from a mentor during the teenage years can change the course of a young person’s life”.

Mentor Trudy Staines has been participating in the program since its inception in 2015 at Narrabri High and later at Wee Waa High School.

“The RAISE program is such a great opportunity for all involved as a mentor,” she said.

“You learn a lot about yourself and how you interact with people and especially our precious youth,” said Trudy.

“It is an opportunity for the mentees to have an adult to talk to – someone in their corner who doesn’t judge or condemn and simply offers support.

“Students can learn a lot from their mentors and gain confidence along the way.

“Graduation is a great way to celebrate what we have achieved and is the start of a new beginning for the mentees.

“It is an awesome feeling when you see past mentees achieving their goals and then giving back to the community”.

Narrabri High School public relations and community liaison, David Pierce advocates the program and believes it is a valuable resource delivering an encouraging support network for the school.

“The RAISE Mentoring program has been running at Narrabri High School for six years now and we continue to have the most valuable mentors from the Narrabri district,” Mr Pierce said.

“The mentors volunteer their time for a total of two hours each week, for twenty weeks throughout the school year to mentor one-on-one with some of our students.

“The whole school community, especially our eleven mentees have greatly appreciated the time the mentors have taken to work with them during this unusual year.

“The mentors have supported and encouraged our students to set goals, build confidence and manage relationships with others,” he said.

“The mentors’ time and effort have not gone unnoticed, and you are all an asset to the Narrabri community”.

The Narrabri mentoring group ran a successful program this year, holding face-to-face sessions each week until local COVID restrictions were implemented in September.

Narrabri RAISE coordinator, Lorna Szymanski said the group made an easy transition to the Zoom platform to conduct a couple of meetings towards the end of the year and lastly, the graduation ceremony.

“Graduation is a very special time for our student mentees.

“It is the culmination of all the work they have done with their mentors.” she said.

“It is also a special time for the mentors who are able to congratulate their mentees on completing the course and seeing the difference a mentor makes to young people’s lives.

“Graduation provides a time for everyone to say goodbye and good luck for the future and to see the student’s newfound confidence, self-esteem and resilience come to the fore”.

The positive impact of having a mentor in your life is well recognised. Vicki Condon AM, founder and chief executive officer of RAISE said: “When people donate their time to listen, young people learn to cope better with life’s challenges while benefitting from one-on-one support.

“We evaluate and report on our programs, so we know the positive impact RAISE mentoring has community wide.

“The young people who graduate experience growth in resilience, help seeking skills, sense of school belonging and hope for the future.

“We look forward to providing the RAISE program at Narrabri High School again next year.

“The number of student mentees that we can help depends solely on the number of mentors who volunteer their time to help out.

“The RAISE team trains and screens everyday people to become successful youth mentors and that it what we are looking for in the Narrabri community.

“If you have two hours a week to spare, enjoy spending time with young people and socialising with a great team of likeminded people then please apply to support a young person at raise.org.au/mentor and select Narrabri High School as your school of choice.”

The RAISE Foundation can be contacted on their website www.raise.org.au

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