When it comes to teenagers, teachers are at the coalface – working with hundreds of teenagers every year. Committed Student Support Officer Huzzy Rodríguez once again talks to us and tells us what is happening for the teens at his school. And how Raise is helping.
In his own words, Huzzy tells us about the big issues
I think the biggest challenges come from friendship dynamics because friends play such a pivotal role in the lives of teenagers. Navigating disagreements, friendship groups breaking up, people being isolated and learning how to be accepted.
I also think that self-esteem and confidence are big challenges for many students and this is something that they may suffer through in silence. Even students who appear confident often struggle with this. For young people, the impact of having poor self-esteem is felt very strongly and impacts their lives significantly.
The impact of Raise
The transformations that have occurred in students who’ve been in the Raise program have been very positive and noticeable. It’s clear that their confidence and self-esteem have grown a lot and this impact is long term. Students continue to build on this in their later years and I can see the difference when they’re in Year 11 and 12. The program has also helped these students to have better communications skills with both adults and peers.
The students have learnt to be open about their mental health and any social issues they may have, which has led to some receiving long term, ongoing support beyond the conclusion of the program.
Students share what the program is all about with their peers which sparks interest for other students. We've had friends of participants request to do the program either the following year or the same year. Staff have also noticed changes in the students as they flourish academically and socially.
I think that the students feel a lot more connected to their community through the mentors. I often hear stories about mentors and mentees seeing each other in the community, sometimes years later. I know that the mentors themselves champion the program and recruit other people to become a part of it, which only serves to strengthen the community.
Big transformations
I can think of one student in particular who was extremely shy, struggled to make eye contact or express themself verbally. They were very introverted and didn't smile much. When they finished school, they’d blossomed into someone who was a lot more expressive, able to hold conversations, and with a significant increase in social skills. This was fabulous to see and the parent of this student expressed how much Raise had helped their child.”
How it benefits schools
A lot of students seek a mentor-style relationship and the Student Support Officer role is an obvious choice which means there is a high demand for my time. I'm always more than happy to provide this help where I can, but due to the number of students I need to see, it can be difficult to check in with everyone.
Raise really helps to lower the number of students I need to check in with throughout the duration of the program. The students learn that there are other adults around who they can connect with in a deep and meaningful way. The program also helps us to identify which students need ongoing support as the program comes to an end, which allows us to know who we need to focus our time and efforts on.
Meeting and getting to know the mentors also opens up the opportunity for me to connect with members of the wider community which is important in the role of SSO.”
Impact for mentors
There is a lot for the mentors to gain from Raise. I can tell that the mentors learn a lot about the lives of young people through this, and it helps them build a sense of connection to their community. A lot of the mentors admit that they are very nervous at first if they are new to the program, which shows that they are facing up to a challenge for themselves, which leads to a strong sense of achievement once the program finishes.
In essence, it's satisfying to help someone else, and this is expanded when it is with a young person because some of the things that are learnt through this experience are lifelong lessons. It creates a sense of pride and joy for the mentors to be a part of.
Ongoing connections
I've said it a million times before: Raise is something that I will always value highly and prioritise in my work. It's a wonderful initiative that has grown so much over the years, and I truly hope it continues to grow and change lives the way it does every year.
