Our stories

Elliot*, in year 6 at a regional NSW school, was referred to Rise mentoring by his school because his attendance was very low, with him refusing to go to school most days.

His father had been taken into custody a few years earlier, and he and his brother no longer had a relationship with him. The disruption to their lives had caused lots of stress and complex emotions.

Elliot’s mother was struggling with managing the children’s behaviour, with his brother even being moved to a different school to avoid them fighting in the playground and being sent home.

Starting Rise

Elliot was unsure what to expect in his sessions and told our mentor that he didn’t like talking with teachers.

To help him settle, his mentor invited him to join some of her sessions with another student who was his friend and was transitioning out of the program and going to high school.

Together, the three played games and shared a bit about themselves, helping to build trust.

When he started his one-on-one sessions, his mentor was so happy to see Elliot arrive ready and willing to give it a go. After only a few sessions, she said she was “blown away by his engagement”.

“We made a goal that he would attend school every Tuesday for our sessions,” she said.

“We’ve worked on understanding emotions and processing them positively … and on the difference between anxiety and anger and how being anxious affects his body so he can understand when this is happening.”

One year later

Fast forward to one year after beginning with Rise, and Elliot’s mentor is incredibly proud of his efforts and attendance!

He came in every Tuesday except for one when he competed in the zone cross country.

And it’s not only Tuesdays for his sessions, but every day that he’s been going to school.

In a complete turn-around, Elliot has had a near-perfect attendance!

His mother is overjoyed with the change and wants her other son to begin with Rise mentoring as well.

Elliot’s teachers are “over the moon with his growth and attendance”.

*Names and images are changed to protect participant privacy.

Thank you to the Raymond E Purves Foundation for supporting this program.