When Sally, 11 years old, started her mentoring sessions, she was finding school and making friends tough.
Her feelings of anxiety and struggles to make friends were recurring topics for discussion during sessions with her mentor Kate*.
Sally’s dad had recently been released from custody and she was navigating many complex emotions while she built a relationship with him.
Her school identified her need for extra support and she was referred to SHINE for Kids.
Kate and Sally used their time together to identify things that might be making Sally feel stressed and brainstorm coping strategies.
Through these activities, Sally’s confidence and resilience have grown so much that she was recently made Tee-ball captain of her school’s team!
She has formed a lovely group of friends and is working on being a good friend herself. “I love seeing Kate because she makes me laugh and always listens to me when I need to chat,” Sally says about their bond.
Kate says that it has been truly amazing to see what an hour a week of support can do for a student.
Sally’s mum is also impressed! She says, “Since starting with SHINE for Kids, I have seen a massive improvement in her emotional balance and general happiness.
“She is having fewer troubles at school and socially.”
Fred, 10 years old, has only been having RISE sessions face-to-face for a short time but the team are blown away by how far he has come already.
Fred was finding the adjustment back to school after the strict lockdowns in Victoria challenging and his behaviour issues and reluctance to engage in his schooling had escalated drastically during the pandemic.
Because of this, he was placed on a revised attendance schedule meaning that he could not attend school full-time, and it was evident he didn’t feel connected to his school community.
Through his mentoring sessions, Fred showed that he had misconceptions about the role of the school and the people he interacts with there.
With lots of hard work together with his mentor, Fred is now starting to recognise his emotions and identify his stressors when at school. He is developing coping strategies with his mentor to help when he has ‘big feelings’.
With support, Fred is now understanding that there are adults at school he can talk to, safe places he can go when he is feeling overwhelmed, and how he can ask for help when he needs it.
The best news is that Fred’s attendance period has begun to grow and the school has reported a decrease in classroom incidents and improvement in his ability to follow instructions.
“The days you come and see me are the best. Can’t you come every day?”, Fred says of his sessions.
We wish we could!
Congratulations Sally and Fred.
These are big achievements in a short period.
Thank you to Anglicare Victoria for funding mentoring in Frankston, Victoria.
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