Alfred Deakin High School principal Brian Downton, Raise program counsellor Karen Mohring and Federal Labor member for Canberra Alicia Payne. Photo: James Coleman.
Seventeen weeks ago seems a lifetime away for 10 of the students at Alfred Deakin High School – and for good reason. They’ve been through a lot of change in that time.
During a casual ceremony in a classroom this week, the young group said their goodbyes to the mentors and friends they had chatted with once a week for 17 weeks as part of a mentoring program aimed at reversing dangerous trends among young people in Australia.
“I’d just like to thank my mentor for … making me want to come back to things like this because I’m not very good at … staying committed, but it’s been very easy to when I trust someone so much and I feel like I can be very honest with him,” one young girl told the room of dampening eyes.
“It makes me feel excited to come back [every week].”
The Raise Youth Mentoring Program has been operating in five schools across the Canberra region this year: Alfred Deakin, Bungendore, Calwell, Karabar, and Queanbeyan High Schools.
Funded through the Federal Health Department, it pairs students with trained volunteer mentors for either 10 or 17 weeks of one-on-one sessions.
Anyone can apply to become a mentor online before undergoing a training course.
Before joining Raise, 71 per cent of students reported anxiety, 56 per cent bullying, 44 per cent depression, 31 per cent discrimination, and 26 per cent disordered eating. But by the end of the program, 74 per cent reported it had helped them cope with their issues.
The room where it all happens. Photo: James Coleman.
Program counsellor Karen Mohring has seen it first-hand.
“In those sessions, we saw students begin with folded arms and cautious eyes,” she said.
“Some didn’t speak for weeks. Others came in with a wall of humour or silence. But slowly, something shifted. One student, after weeks of quiet, looked up and said, ‘I didn’t think anyone would care this much about what I had to say’.
“Another shared, ‘I used to think asking for help meant I was weak. Now I know it means I’m strong enough to want better’.
“These aren’t just quotes, they’re turning points. We saw mentees begin to name their emotions, to reflect on their choices, to ask questions like how do I set boundaries, or what does respect look like in a friendship.”
A card to each mentee. Photo: James Coleman.
Raise was founded in 2008 by Vicki Condon after her family lost a young friend to suicide.
At the time, she had shelved a business plan for a youth mentoring organisation, thinking Australia had enough charities; however, this tragedy prompted her to pick it up again.
“With a background in counselling and knowing the research around the power of mentoring, I wanted to support young people by providing them with a caring, trusted, independent mentor,” she wrote in 2022.
“Young people need to be heard, they need to have a voice, and importantly, they need the skills to ask for help and accept it.”
Back then, Raise supported just 58 teenagers across three schools.
In 2024, the program reached 2546 young people in 189 programs, spanning 173 schools and communities in seven states and territories. By 2027, the goal is to support more than 5000.
Alfred Deakin High School principal Brian Downton said the program is now an integral part of the school.
“We love having them come in, and it just keeps getting better and better,” he said.
“I want to thank all the mentors for giving up your time and connecting so strongly with the students. Our goal for every young person is to make sure they’ve got someone who deeply values them, helps them find their strengths and their path to success – and I think this mentoring program does that superbly.”
Mentees start by telling their mentor which ‘blob’ on the tree represents their feelings. Photo: James Coleman.
The mentors and mentees said their teary goodbyes at the ceremony this week, and neither party are likely to forget it either.
“One of my goals in doing this is really to help be here for the young folk,” said mentor Stu, who’s been with Raise for three years.
“But to be honest, using my mentee as an example, she doesn’t need that much help at all. I’ve learned a lot from her. It’s been lovely.”
Visit Raise for more information, to donate or find out how to become a mentor.
