Youth Mentoring Tip Sheets
These tip sheets feature advice from Victorian youth mentoring coordinators.
These documents are spread throughout the website, and are also available as a complete set here.
Quick links to document sections:
Getting Started
Policy and Procedure
Recruitment
Selection and Training
Making the Match
Match Support
Getting Started
Tips for new coordinators
Victorian youth mentoring coordinators provide tips on how to thrive in your first year in the role.
Tips for New Coordinators (PDF, 74Kb)Funding
The following list was put together by Grant Writing Workshop participants, and includes first hand advice on how to best manage your funding search.
Tips - Funding (PDF, 70Kb)
Kinds of Partnership
This article details the kinds of partnership available to you (from school to local government), and how to make these relationships successful.
Tips - Kinds of Partership (PDF, 78Kb)
Corporate Partnerships
This resource includes tips from youth mentoring coordinators on how to communicate the benefits of youth mentoring to business, and provides solutions to common issues.
Tips and Suggestions for developing corporate partnerships (PDF, 72Kb)
Tips for dealing with the media
A comprehensive list covering how to engage with media, including a list of potential interview questions.
Resource - Key Messages for Media (PDF, 76Kb)Policy and Procedure
Policy – where to start?
Start your policy writing process by reading these tips from program coordinators on how to approach policy development, policy writing sequence and how to avoid getting overwhelmed.
Tips to Evaluate your program
These tips provide will give you direction on how to efficiently evaluate your program, including follow up phone calls, incorporating evaluation into your existing participant meetings and the use of surveys.
Tips - Program Evaluation (PDF, 126Kb)
Recruitment
Selling Mentoring to Young People
Use these ideas to positively promote your program (and mentoring in general) to young people.
Tips - Selling the Idea of Mentoring to Young People (Word, 47Kb)
Encouraging School Support
These tips will give you guidance on how best to nurture relationships with schools.
Tips - Encouraging School Support (Word, 46Kb)
Recruiting Young People with Specific Criteria
How do you recruit enough young people when they need to meet specific criteria? This document will provide some tips.
Tips - Recruiting Young People with Specific Criteria (Word, 46Kb)
Recruiting sufficient quality mentors
These tips provide a wealth of ideas on how to source and recruit quality mentors, including the use of media, community opportunities, and existing resources.
Tips - Recruiting sufficient quality mentors (PDF, 290Kb)
Recruiting Male Mentors
This list will provide ideas on how to tailor your marketing and promotional materials to attract male volunteers to your program through relevant networks and other community services.
Tips - Recruiting enough Male Mentors (PDF, 285Kb)
Mentor Screening
These tips from Victorian program coordinators cover which types of information to give potential mentors, what needs to be communicated verbally, and ideal interview panel composition.
Tips - Screening Mentors (PDF, 226Kb)
Selection and Training
Ensuring mentor training is engaging
Ideas for mentor training, including role play scenarios, case study discussions and guest speakers.
Tips - Ensuring Mentor Training is Engaging (PDF, 72Kb)
Mentor Training Package Notes for Success
Training participant tips about what makes a successful and productive learning experience.
Mentor Training - Notes for Success (PDF, 78Kb)Making the Match
Matching young people and mentors with busy schedules
Tips from program coordinators on ways to ensure mentoring matches can stay in touch, despite hectic lifestyles.
Tips - Matching young people and mentors with busy schedules (PDF, 66Kb)
Matching diverse participants
Tips on how to begin the matching process amongst a diverse group of participants.
Tips - Matching diverse participants (PDF, 72Kb)
Encouraging Engagement
How do I keep mentors engaged when they are waiting to be matched, or when their match has been unsuccessful? (Also in Keeping People Connected)
Tips - Encouraging Engagement (PDF, 69Kb)
Match Support
Match support when working part-time
These tips provide some great ideas on how to manage your support of mentoring matches whilst working limited hours.
Tips - Match support When Working Part-Time (PDF, 65Kb)
Strategies for Match Review
This list provides ideas on how to review your mentoring matches in a way that works for the mentor and mentee.
Tips - Strategies for Match Review (PDF, 67Kb)
Connecting mentors to your wider organisation
Tips on how your mentors can engage with your organisation as a whole.
Tips - Connecting mentors to your wider organisation (PDF, 66Kb)
Keeping mentors engaged when young people disengage
Keeping mentors engaged when they are waiting to be matched, or when their match has been unsuccessful.
Tips - Keeping mentors engaged when young people disengage (PDF, 68Kb)
Tips on how to ensure mentors and mentees feel valued while they’re waiting to be matched or re-matched.
Tips - Encouraging Engagement (PDF, 69Kb)
Keeping asylum seekers engaged
Ideas on how to encourage asylum seekers to stay involved in the program beyond their achievement of permanent residency, study or work rights.
Tips - Keeping asylum seekers engaged (PDF, 66Kb)
Innovative ideas to support mentors
These tips cover how to ensure mentors are supported. Examples include: coffee clubs/mentor meetings, one-on-one catch-ups and celebratory events.
Tips - Innovative ideas to support mentors (PDF, 125Kb)