For us, mentoring and Plan-it Youth has grown into a very significant and important program. The crux of Plan-it Youth is about relationships. As we all go through life, we all need to make connections with others for all sorts of reasons. This program is a valuable way of supporting our students by helping them to link with someone who is likely to be significant in their life, even if it is only for a short time.
Plan-it Youth also gives us an opportunity to tap into our community and bring other experiences and ideas into schools. We are learning all the time about ways to do this more effectively than we may have done in the past. This program is shows us that we can work together.
Rob Farley, Principal, Tomaree High School |
Plan-it Youth helps students to get a goal and a direction in life. I am so proud of the students who have really turned their life around through spending time with a mentor. One student I can think of could easily have got into the wrong crowd. The mentors and teachers all supported him and he suddenly found a whole lot of people believing in him. He found a direction and he now walks with a real purpose."
Louise Allen, Hunter Sports High School |
It’s just so encouraging for teachers to realise that there are people in the community who want to help us with our students. Teachers, as the only adults on the classroom, can be a bit lonely sometimes. The support from the community can really make a big difference.
Chris Charters, Principal, Hunter River High School
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I coordinate Plan-it Youth at West Wallsend High School because it’s of benefit to the students. We get a very positive response from students and my classes are much easier after it. The students have direction and focus – they have some idea of where they are going and what they have to do to get there. We involve a range of students and often students mix with others who may be more motivated and it increases their interest in school and life in general. We get a lot of parental support – even parents that have become volunteer mentors because they’ve sent the benefits firsthand.
Barbara England, 2006
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