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December 2015
Wednesday, 09 December 2015 12:10

Join me in giving an hour a week

On a recent visit to Bairnsdale, former Chief Commissioner of Police and National Ice Taskforce Chairman, Ken Lay, had a clear message relate to ice use. He said police cannot arrest their way out of this and governments cannot fund their way out of this – communities have to take some control of their own destinies.

This comment can be applied to many of the social problems we experience in society and it got me thinking about what we can locally to assist our youth that are perhaps lacking direction in their lives and lacking good role models.

For some time I have been aware the successful Gippsland East Mentoring program that is run through Workways Australia with current State and Federal funding.

The program screens, recruits and trains mentors to assist vulnerable young people in East Gippsland and it has already made a huge difference to many young peoples’ lives.

While it has “runs on the board” in relation to assisting our region’s youngsters from avoiding the pitfalls of life, it is not achieving its full potential for one reason – if it had more mentors it could assist more of our region’s youths who need support.

The young people involved are identified by their schools as needing a “significant other” in their lives who can listen to their concerns and assist them to develop confidence.

The program’s aim is to increase the young person’s self-esteem, improve their relationships with peers and family, encourage school attendance and help them feel connected to the community.

Youth mentoring has been shown to be one of the most effective ways of supporting young people and can have positive effects in changing behaviour and building confidence in young people who might otherwise lose their way.

Mentors come from all walks of life - the young to the more mature and the retired to the fully employed.

Some local businesses in the area have also joined the program to offer their employees as mentors as a part of their commitment to the community.

The employees are then able to spend time with their young person during their working hours. This has proven to be both positive for the employee and the employer.

Once training has been completed the mentor is closely matched with a young person. Volunteer mentors receive ongoing support during the match.

The pair then spends approximately an hour a week together (in school time) for a minimum of six months to a year or more. Often the mentor and student continue with their friendship beyond this time on a more casual basis

The project employs a part-time coordinator and assistant whose role it is to recruit mentors, provide training, match mentors with students, and provide on-going support to matches.

Volunteers are always needed with most schools having a waiting list of students.

I am putting my hand up in the hope I can assist a young person with some guidance. If you are interested in joining me and becoming a mentor please contact Workways.

Our community will be a better place for it.

To finish this column I will leave you with one mentor testimonial:

I wanted to make a difference in a young person’s life. I remember what it was like to be young and how it wasn’t always easy, and it would have been great to have someone to talk to who wasn’t going to judge me. I have learnt to really listen and put myself into someone else’s shoes. It’s not always easy but what I’ve found is that they don’t want you to fix things for them, just spend time with them and listen. It is one of the most rewarding things I have been a part of.

December 9, 2015

Published in Comment Columns
Saturday, 05 December 2015 12:21

Victorian Timber Workers Memorial opens in Heyfield

The opening of the new Victorian Timber Workers’ Memorial at Heyfield today provides a fitting recognition for those who lost their lives and a great place of reflection for their families, State Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, said today.

“I was given the great honour to read out some of the names of workers who had lost their lives, and whilst there is certainly a strong element of sadness, the memorial is a fitting tribute.

"Heyfield is known as a timber town and when I was approached in relation to State funding for the project, I remarked at the time I could not think of a better place for this monument to be located than in the heart of Heyfield,” Mr Bull said.

“The project will enhance the Heyfield community’s sense of place, recognising the lives that have been lost over the years.

“This unique memorial will also add to a suite of attractions in and around the Heyfield area, drawing new visitors to the region.

“The site is well connected to facilities at Heyfield Park, an existing commemorative walk and the Gippsland Plains Rail Trail.”

Mr Bull said it is important to acknowledge the great support from within the community and the industry to bring the project to fruition.

“The local community was very active and it would be remiss to mention only some names, but to all those who contributed time and support, a massive thanks,” Mr Bull said.

The former Coalition Government provided $65,000, the Heyfield community provided $36,000 and the Wellington Shire $40,000 towards the project.

Published in Media
Wednesday, 02 December 2015 12:15

Shadow Minister for Education visits East Gippsland

Shadow Minister for Education, Nick Wakeling, visited the Bairnsdale Secondary College (BSC) today to hear the school community’s push for stage two to be funded urgently.
 
Mr Wakeling was in East Gippsland at the request of local State MP, Tim Bull, and the pair also visited Lakes Secondary College and Orbost Secondary College.
 
Mr Wakeling said the visit to BSC today highlighted the importance of funding stage two of the refurbishment at the college, which the previous Coalition Government committed to prior to the 2014 election, having already funded stage one.

“Talking to both staff and students today it was evident the new buildings are very popular and had created a dynamic learning environment, which was being embraced by the entire school community.
 
“A number of the buildings we visited in the old section of the school had been affected by a recent storm and damage from flooding included roof collapses, flooded carpet and damaged walls, making the area unsafe,” he said.
 
Mr Bull thanked the Shadow Minister for visiting and said it is disappointing that despite requests from both himself and school council, the Minister for Education hadn’t even bothered to respond to the requests to visit the school.

 

Published in Media
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