Rotaract mentorship hits the road

Narrabri Rotaract has taken their term four high school mentorship on the road, going directly to the local business community.

After the success of their term three field trip to Specialised Quarries and Concrete, the Rotaract crew decided that more immersion was what school leavers needed for their career decision-making.

“We wanted to give the kids experiences into a local business that contributes a lot to the local town,” said president of Rotaract, Kodey Stanford.

“It’s also an opportunity for businesses to connect with the school because there has been an inherent missing link between school, community, and business, and we’re trying to bridge that somehow.

“It’s a big shift, we started from our one-on-one mentoring, six-week work experience, and 20-minute seminars, but we’ve had a lot of interest from students and the business community.”

First up for the term four field trip line-up was a bus trip to JE & AG Brown Mechanical, captained by Rotaract secretary and treasurer and Narrabri High School teacher Samantha Coppin.

Eight students went over important lessons like oil and tyre changing, and what to look for when you buy your first car, including a trip into the bowels of the pit, where they inspected the belly of a mining truck.

“Our first excursion at the end of last term was an eye-opener for the students and a great test run for us as well,” said Ms Coppin.

“None of the students were interested in doing anything in the quarries before, and they were really shocked at how much goes into the quarries and the concrete, so they got some exposure into an industry that they don’t really know about but are surrounded by.

“They also saw past students who now work there in a different light – seeing a kid who was always in trouble, and now he’s working there and is one of their hardest workers.”

The model for the mentorship program is to shine a spotlight on Narrabri High School alumni and to show students that though many of them did not finish high school or go to university, they have become some of the most successful and community-minded businesses in town.

“We wanted to take them to an environment that they aren’t used to – the key point of the mentorship is really to expose kids to every opportunity that’s available here in town,” said Ms Stanford.

“We also have a lot of students who want to get into ag-based business, we want to show them it’s more than farming and crops.”

This term, the mentorship program welcomed a new cohort of students from years 10, 11, and 12, making up a class of 13.

JE and AG Brown Mechanical Repairs’ Mandy Brown came to conduct a short seminar on starting a new business last term.

“Mandy talked about starting a business, and then we got to see the business they started,” said Ms Stanford.

“When we went to the Browns, it was about learning life skills.

“They jacked up my little Suzuki Swift and had to undo some nuts and use a pipe to change a tyre which many kids had never done before.

“James gave us a tour and spoke about the things he’s done; how he dropped out of school at the age of 15 and ended up starting his own business and has been there for 34 years.

“He also spoke about his apprentice and how working in regional or rural communities, you are exposed to working on many different cars.

“His apprentice has dealt with clutches, radiators, alternators and seen things and machines you wouldn’t have the opportunity for unless you were in a rural community.

As part of the Rotaract-partnering Narrabri Industrial Network, Mandy hoped the experience would inspire the next generation of mechanics to give the trade a crack.

“It was great having the students; they had a good look around and James showed them a few things in the workshop.

“Hopefully programs like this get more people into the trade because we need more mechanics.”

As well as a trip to the local mechanics, more upcoming excursions include WTC group, CUC, and the Shire Council and a talk from C&W about budgeting and superannuation.

Trudy Staines will once again speak to the students about interpersonal skills and interview techniques, and there is plenty of excitement for a general health/sexual health seminar.

“The beauty of this is that it’s completely volunteer, everyone is participating off their own backs,” said Ms Stanford.

“That clearly shows how much the businesses here care about the students and hope that they invest back in the community and the businesses.

“Even the other day when we were out there at a mechanics, they took two hours out of their day – we called them up, and they said, “Yes, we will fit you in.”

“Next week at WTC, Will said he’d come and get the kids because we don’t have the bus for transport.

“Even the Rotaract crew coming out and donating their time is crazy. The kids see it and appreciate it.”

On that note, the mentorship program will end the term with a collaboration with a local community group and a week of volunteering, so that students can learn about the benefits of service and the importance of giving back to the community.