Brookside P-9 College Newsletter

 Student Wellbeing 

Raise Mentoring Program

Well done to the students who completed the Raise Mentoring Program this term! This is the first time the youth mentoring program has run at Brookside but hopefully not the last. For the past two and a bit terms, students were paired up with a group of fantastic volunteer mentors from the community who they connected with once a week. The aim of the program was to empower young people to become more resilient, give them a trusted adult to talk to and to build hope for their future. It’s been incredible to see the positive community created amongst our Brookside students and the Raise mentors!

Many of the students described enjoying the program and said it was a positive experience even via Zoom. Although meeting and pairing with a mentor was scary at first, the students got along and connected well with their matches. Students formed bonds with a trusted adult who wasn’t their parent or teacher which helped make them feel more comfortable to talk about different things without feeling judged. As mentees, the students said they felt their confidence, self-esteem and communication skills grow throughout the program. The group said they would happily recommend the program to other students and wished that it had run for much longer.

It wasn’t just the students who benefited from being in the program - the mentors also had a great experience getting to know and supporting their mentees. Check out what they thought:

'Being part of the Brookside mentor program has been a wonderful experience. It has been a privilege to spend time with such a diverse and amazing group of young people and inspiring to witness their resilience and growth. Congratulations to Brookside College and Raise for facilitating such a great community initiative.' – Fiona, Raise mentor

 

‘My experience doing the program was Amazing!  I met some wonderful people and learnt a lot. The students/mentees were so inspiring and unique in their own way.

I felt a sense of excitement and like I had made a difference in these mentees' lives in a positive way, by just being there. Letting them express themselves, talk about their feelings or just have an outlet where they can be themselves, even if it was for just an hour. But that hour every week may be just what they needed to feel happy and accepted for being themselves and a sense of belonging.

I sure learned and took away a lot from the mentees. One thing I will always remember is how much we laughed together. I think it was an opportunity of a lifetime and I would recommend it to any student who would like to give it a go or any adult who would like to learn about mentoring no matter their reason.’ – Lena, Raise mentor

 Thank you to the brilliant mentors who generously volunteered their time to become such important role models and supports for our young people this year. Huge thank you also to Laura and Indy our dedicated Raise program facilitators without whom the program would not have been the success it was!

Head to raise.org.au to learn more about the Raise Mentoring Program.

Support for Transition Back to School

Every family has a different learning-from-home story. Here are some ways you can support your child return to school and reconnect with their school community.

 

For parents/carers:

For students:

  • Helpful tips for coming back to primary school (Prep - Year 6) - see attached
  • Helpful tips for returning to high school (Years 7-9) - see attached

We look forward to having everyone back soon!

 

Take care,

Student Wellbeing Team