Raise was founded by Vicki Condon who decided to take action when a family friend’s 14-year-old son took his own life. The latest study by Raise found that whilst one in three young people aren’t happy, only a third feel comfortable enough to share their problems with school counsellors.
Access to technology means that they are comparing themselves with each other a lot more so their confidence becomes more of a struggle. Issues like body image and anxiety are much more evidenced. Our young people really benefit from having that trusted adult role model that they can talk to, who is neutral, who is not their parent, not their teacher.
Over a thousand community mentors give two hours of their time every week to teenage mentees supported by Raise throughout Australia.
Vicki Condon says there are different reasons teenagers might seek help.
“They might be disengaged from their school work. They might be truanting a lot or not getting their work in on time. They might have mental illness so they maybe experiencing anxiety or depression or self-harm. They might have lost a parent to a major illness or they might just need some help to set goals and achieve them.”
In Western Australia, Victoria and parts of New South Wales, not-for-profit organisation EdConnectpairs disadvantaged and at-risk youngsters with older mentors.
CEO Gerri Clay explains why over half of EdConnect’s mentors are aged over 55.
“Perhaps grandchildren live in another country. The contact they have with those grandchildren isn’t as much as they’d like and that’s been enough reason why they’ve come volunteering.”
Former engineer Alain Bernay decided to become an EdConnect mentor as he was approaching retirement seven years ago.
He has so far mentored seven teenagers aged from 13 to 15.
He tries to introduce skills like meditation or gratitude that schools don’t often teach to help his mentees approach life more positively.
SBS four-part drama The Huntingexplores the perils of social media experienced by today’s teenagers. To learn more and catch up on missed episodes, go to SBS On Demand.
For tips, tools and advice to manage online safety issues, visit the eSafety website.
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