Premier

Minister Launches Yarra Ranges Mentoring Program

28 April 2015

Five schools in the Yarra Ranges are set to host a renowned mentoring program which helps secondary students reach their potential.

Minister for Education, James Merlino, officially launched the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Australia’s Yarra Ranges BIG Futures program, which pairs secondary students with volunteer mentors from the local community.

Each student spends an hour a week with their mentor throughout the school year, identifying goals and aspirations and ensuring they are on track to achieve them.

So far, 20 local community members have volunteered as mentors.

Sherbrooke Community School, Upwey High School, Boronia K-12 College, Bayswater Secondary College and Mater Christi College are participating in the program. Throughout Australia 20 schools run the BIG Futures program, including 15 in Victoria.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia is Australia’s largest youth mentoring organisation and has worked in the community for more than 30 years.

The Andrews Labor Government believes all students – regardless of circumstances – deserve the chance to reach their potential, and mentoring programs are useful in helping them to achieve their goals.

The Labor Government has committed to piloting a program for high-achieving tertiary students to mentor secondary school students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Education, James Merlino

“All students, regardless of their circumstances, deserve the chance to reach their potential, and the BIG Futures Program will be a great support to Yarra Ranges students.”

“This program is a good example of schools working with their local communities to provide the best opportunities for their students.

“The Andrews Labor Government believes in the value of mentoring programs, and we have promised to pilot a program for high-achieving tertiary students to mentor secondary school students.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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