Victoria Minister for Youth Affairs Ryan Smith

Youth Mentor Of The Year Announced

Victor P Taffa

Minister for Youth Affairs Ryan Smith today launched Youth Mentoring Week, organised by the Victorian Youth Mentoring Alliance, which runs from 23-29 October.

Mr. Smith said that Youth Mentoring Week recognised and celebrated the contribution of volunteer mentors, young people and supporters of youth mentoring.

Mr. Smith presented the Mentor of the Year award to Ms. Jeanne Winters, in recognition of her commitment to mentoring a young person experiencing mental illness and homelessness.

“Like many mentors, Jeanne made a real difference in the life of a young person, encouraging self-belief, determination and enabling them to achieve their goals.” Mr. Smith said.

Ms. Winters volunteered to mentor 19-year-old Andie for 120 hours as part of a driving instruction program run by the City of Geelong. When Andie became homeless and suffered a mental illness, Jeanne remained committed to helping Andie and was a constant source of support and guidance through her difficult times.

“From 2010 to 2011 nearly 7,000 young people and 6,500 volunteer mentors were engaged in youth mentoring. Youth Mentoring Week is a valuable opportunity to celebrate the positive impact of mentoring on young people, the contribution of mentors, and to recruit new mentors.” Mr. Smith said.

“It also aims to seek support for establishing community and business partnerships. In the coming months I will be leading consultations with businesses, philanthropic organisations and the community sector to develop a shared vision for the future of youth mentoring.”

Mr. Smith also announced funding of $90,000 for research into the benefits and effectiveness of youth mentoring in Victoria.

The Helen MacPherson Smith Trust will match the government’s contribution of $90,000 for a research project aimed at gathering evidence of the economic and social benefits of investment in mentoring. This research will inform future policy development.

The Coalition Government recently announced the $12.3 Million Engage! grant program to support youth service providers, local government and not-for-profit organisations in developing volunteering and mentoring programs.

For further information on the program go to www.youthmentoringvic.org.au