April 2008

In This Issue
What's New
In the Loop...
Funding
Research
Lost Boys
Events

What's NEW on the site?

Youth Mentoring Network Factsheets for Mentors

The Youth Mentoring Network will be producing a series of factsheets to help mentors deal with issues which may come up when speaking with their mentees. The first factsheet is now available on our website!

Factsheet 1 provides information on adolescent issues such as sexual health, suicide and drug and alcohol issues for young people. It also provides mentors with a series of websites where they can find additional information on each of these topics.

Take a look at the factsheet today!

Do you need help with Organisation and Governance of your Youth Mentoring Program?

Take a look at our new Organisation and Governance page on the YMN website. This webpage will assist you in creating policy and procedures, governance structures and management systems. The page will also assist you in developing plans for program sustainability, provide staff development opportunities and provide tips on public relations and marketing.

Click here to view the new Organisation and Governance page

 

Link with Mentoring in Victoria

The Victorian Youth Mentoring Alliance has VYMA Logojust  launched their new website.

Check out the map of Victorian to find programs and log in as a member to access more than 50 tools for mentoring programs!
 
www.youthmentoringvic.org.au
In the Loop

  New Staff at the YMN

To ensure the Youth Mentoring Network support 120can focus on the opportunities mentioned in last months Newsletter, the YMN has employed Sylvia Utami as our new Events and Communications Officer.
 
Sylvia will be managing all of the forums, conferences and workshops along with the website and online communications.  Sylvia can be reached via email on sylvia@youthmentoring.org.au and will work Mondays - Wednesdays.
 

Helen Lam will continue as our Administrations Officer and can be contacted via email on helen@youthmentoring.org.au. Helen works for the YMN on Fridays. Both Helen and Sylvia can be reached on 02 9085 7157.

Funding
 
Piggy Bank

Do you need more funding for your program? Will your funding grant come to an end this year?

 

Now is the time to look for additional funding to sustain you for the coming year and beyond. For a list of sites broken down into grants which are available nation wide and state by state please visit the Youth Mentoring Network's Funding webpage! We have also added information on our site to help your program plan to use its funds wisely and be more sustainable.

 

Click here to visit the Funding webpage

 
Research

 Journal of Vocational Behaviour - Mentoring Special

Books The Journal of Vocational Behaviour has released an entire issue dedicated to mentoring. Topics include:
· Mentoring relationships from early adolescence through emerging adulthood: A qualitative analysis
· The role of gender in youth mentoring relationship formation and duration
· Formal mentoring programs: The relationship of program design and support to mentors' perceptions of benefits and costs
 
The Youth Mentoring Network will be reviewing each article and placing a summary of the findings on the website over the coming weeks. If you would like to purchase a copy for yourself or if you have access to journal databases, follow this link to be taken to the journal's website. Science Direct - Journal of Vocational Behaviour
 
The Lost Boys
 URGENT Request

The producers of a new observational documentary series called "The Lost Boys" have contacted the Youth Mentoring Network for some assistance. The documentary focuses on 5 fathers and their sons who are currently experiencing some type of difficulty or strain in their relationship due to long working hours, divorce, absence etc.   The program would be taking the fathers and sons away on a cattle drove in Australia for 28 days with the idea being with help and time away together they will hopefully mend problems in their communications and create a new bond between them.

This is a very professional project with backing from relationship councillors and droving experts who regularly host groups of public to take part in a similar experience.    There is definitely no voting, panel of judges or elimination in the format.  It really is about fathers and sons attempting to re-build their relationship with newly acquired skills through a combined experience.

The producers are looking for fathers and sons who may be interested in participating. Sons would have to be minimum age 15- through to 24.

 

If you can help please contact the producers directly.Kirsty de Vallance on  02 9413 8640/ 0403 182293 or email: Kirsty@acastofthousands.com.au by Friday the 18th April.

Events
Youth Mentoring Forum Series
The Adelaide Forum, which was held on 13 March 2008, was a great success. You can now view and download the presentations by Dr Deborah King and Big Brothers Big Sisters on Strengthening Youth Mentoring from the Youth Mentoring Network website.
 
 
 
Newcastle Forum 21 May 2008
 
HYMC logo
The Youth Mentoring Network, in partnership with the Hunter Youth Mentoring Collaboration, will be holding the Newcastle Mentoring Forum on Wednesday, 21st May 2008. The topics for this forum will be Creating Local Networks: how to build support for local mentoring and Community Building: connecting with agencies for sustainability.
 
Upcoming Forum Dates for Diary
June 4th - Melbourne
June 24th - Tasmania
August 13th - Gippsland
November 13th - 14th -Bunbury
 
Co-Hosts Still Needed

Queensland July 30th
Sydney September 17th

 

Other Conferences and events

 

Communities in Control Conference 2008 - The Community Challenge: Building political, environmental, social & economic pathways towards true social inclusion

Organised by Our Community and held in Melbourne on 16-17 June 2008

 

Click here for more information

 

ACWA Conference 2008 - Strong, Safe & Sustainable: Responding to children, young people and families in a civil society  

Organised by the Association of Children's Welfare Agencies and held in Sydney on 18 - 20 August 2008

 

The Organising Committee for ACWA 2008 is inviting people to submit an abstract for either poster or oral presentations during the Conference. Submissions close 31st March 2008

 

Early bird registrations close 2nd of June 2008

 

Click here for more information

 
12th National Conference on Volunteering
Organised by Volunteering Australia and held on the Gold Coast on 3rd September to 5th September 2008
 
 

Promoting an event or meeting?

 

If you have an event or meeting that would interest youth mentoring practitioners, funding groups or mentors themselves, then you can add these events to the E-newsletter and YMN website.

 

Simply send an email to info@youthmentoring.org.au containing all the event details and we will be happy to help with your promotion.

 
 Sincerely,
 
Kathleen Vella
Youth Mentoring Network Australia

Visit the website at http://www.youthmentoring.org.au
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