There are as many stories about the benefits of mentoring as there are mentors – each story is unique. For retired lawyer Robert, his decision to make a difference in the life of a young person set him on the path to a new occupation – education.
Robert had only viewed his initial education through the lens of ‘what was expected or necessary’ and his own career goals. He saw it as a self-focused ‘tick box’ - completing secondary, then tertiary, learning enough to begin his chosen job. He’d never really invested much time thinking about the broader implications of education and what that entailed for the individual and for society.
A new way of viewing the world
After joining the Raise program as a volunteer mentor, receiving the training and mentoring a young person who needed support, Robert started viewing the world in a new way. He began to view mentoring as one integral part of young people’s educational experience.
“I realised that there is a vast array of things that volunteers can do to support young people under the broad umbrella of education, including mentoring. I became aware of new opportunities for myself and others that I had never imagined” says Robert.
New paths and futures
Realising this was an epiphany of sorts, and this revelation opened Robert’s eyes, figuratively and literally, to new paths and altered futures.
“Pre-Raise I would not have noticed an online advertisement calling for expressions of interest for a volunteer, non-executive director role on the board of an independent school. After joining Raise I did notice the advertisement, lodged my expression of interest, and to my delight was successful. I would not have ever thought about, let alone successfully followed through on, this new direction before Raise” Robert told us.
“Pre-Raise I would not have noticed an online advertisement calling for expressions of interest for a volunteer, non-executive director role on the board of an independent school. After joining Raise I did notice the advertisement, lodged my expression of interest, and to my delight was successful. I would not have ever thought about, let alone successfully followed through on, this new direction before Raise” Robert told us.
Robert is delighted to have this new volunteer position because, after his mentoring experience, his awareness has shifted to alternate ways young people need our support, and has found a new path to provide it.
“This is a highly regarded Sydney-based college for young people aged 15 to 22 who are disengaged from mainstream education pathways primarily due to struggles with anxiety or depression and social disadvantage. It offers year 10 RoSA and year 12 HSC, has hundreds of students across several campuses and is fee and uniform free. As a board member, I can contribute to ensuring the college has strong financial management and good governance to help continue the effective delivery of quality education to young people. This will allow me to have a broad, positive impact on the futures of many young people at the same time” enthuses Robert.
A message to potential mentors
Robert’s message to those thinking of mentoring through Raise is this: “Mentoring is a very rewarding experience for both the mentor and mentee. Mentors can help young people gain the most from their education by supporting them to overcome things in their lives that get in the way. On top of this, there is the potential for mentors to see things in a new way and come across new opportunities that were never imagined.”
