Women and Mentoring (WAM) are seeking volunteer mentors for our Young Women's Program. The WAM Young Women’s Program assists young women, gender diverse and trans people aged 12-24, who are identified as at risk or are in the early stages of contact with the criminal justice system.

The program takes both a preventative and early interventive approach to reduce rates of young women interacting with the justice system. This program runs in the South-Eastern regions of Victoria, in Frankston, the Mornington Peninsula, Dandenong, Casey and Kingston.

Successful applicants will mentor one participant, meeting weekly either online or face-to-face in community for a minimum of 12 months. Mentors will support their participants by helping them achieve their goals and assisting them through challenges with the aim of building their independence and confidence.

Mentors would have the following availability and characteristics:

• Identify as female, gender diverse or non-binary.
• Be aged 18 years and above.
• Be available for face-to-face Mentor training over two days.
• Live in or close proximity to the Frankston, Mornington Peninsula, Dandenong, Casey or Kingston LGAs.
• Have availability and flexibility to meet their mentee during the week (during the day or after-school, depending on the participants schedule).
• Be able to commit to mentoring for a minimum 12-month period.
• Be open minded and utilise active listening skills.
• Mentors believe in a community that is safe and welcoming for all women.
• Be able to apply a strength-based approach to mentoring.
• Be available for monthly peer supervision meetings.

A mentor will:

Build rapport: Mentors focus on listening carefully and attentively to their participant, focusing on hearing their strengths; then using this information to suggest how they can use these strengths to manage the issues and difficulties that they face (rather than fixing problems for them).

Provide practical assistance: Mentors can write court support letters, assist participants to search out and access resources, send appointment reminders, and other tasks as required by the participant. This may involve liaising with professional services such as courts, police, and the social service sector during the week, with support from a WAM Coordinator.

Set boundaries: The mentor is a voluntary representative of WAM and will always behave professionally. However, as the role is voluntary, the mentor is also required to consider whether activities are beyond the scope of their role and get assistance and referrals with informed consent from the participant.

Create social connectedness: Mentors work with participants on connecting with the community around them. Mentors are knowledgeable about opportunities for positive connections in volunteering, employment, social and activity groups.