Young Mentors

About this resource
Target audience
Level
Middle secondary, Upper secondary
Keywords
Type of resource
Timeline template, promotional flyers and posters, trainer’s guide, slide pack, teaching plan template, mentor revision booklet, facilitators guide, videos, name tags, certificates.
Timeframe
Up to 3.5 hours of student training and multiple mentoring sessions between students and older learners.
Key outcomes
The Young Mentors program builds community engagement through intergenerational learning and shaping a culture of generosity. Your students can participate in the program as part of service learning, leadership, or work experience.
Students build teaching, communication and problem-solving skills and learn the value of patience, respect and empathy while improving essential digital life skills for older Australians.
This program can be used towards the Service section of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
Using this resource
The Tool Kit contains all the promotional, training and facilitation materials you will need to successfully recruit and guide your students through the program.
You will also have access to a program feedback report on completion.
Five simple steps for school coordinators
Register your school to access the Tool Kit of resources.
Find a community partner such as a library, aged care facility or community group that will recruit older participants to pair up with your students. A letter of introduction template, program overview and suggested program timeline are provided to help you with this step.
Promote the program to your students using flyers, posters and newsletter articles, all provided in the Tool Kit.
Train the student mentors to help an older person using the step-by-step training guide and slide pack provided.
The training covers the benefits of mentoring, the skills required to mentor, different learning styles and safety aspects of the program. It also provides students with resources and handouts to help with their mentoring.
Supervise the mentoring sessions over the time period agreed with your community partner (e.g. one hour per week, over six weeks). A facilitator’s guide and end of program certificates for all participants are provided.
Here's what teachers thought of the program
Kay, All Saints' College
Maria, Beverly Hills Girls High School principal
Michelle, St Mary's Anglican Girls' School
Helen, Beverly Hills Girls High School
Student mentor training
Students will complete training in mentoring an older person, including mentoring and its benefits, the skills required to be a good mentor, safety concerns, possible difficulties when mentoring an older person, support materials to help with mentoring and how to complete a teaching plan.
The training is interactive and includes a few short YouTube videos as well as some role playing.
A certificate for student mentor training hours is included in the Tool Kit.
Mentoring sessions
Following training, students are supervised as they mentor their older learners. The one-to-one sessions are fun, informal and tailored to cover topics that older people would like to learn.
Older learners use their own devices, so the new skills they learn can be put into practise straight away.
Here's what students thought of the program
Carmen, Beverly Hills Girls High School
Student, All Saints' College
Student, Beverly Hills Girls High School
Program timelines
The program delivery timeline provides guidance on how long the program will take.
FAQs
If you still have questions, please take a look at our frequently asked questions (FAQs) or contact us.