Youth Mentoring

Menslink’s Mentoring Program pairs men who have survived their adolescence with young blokes aged 10-18 who are still on their way there. Volunteer male mentors, from all walks of life, share their wisdom and life experience with young men needing a constructive influence in their lives who benefit from the support and friendship a mentor provides. Menslink mentors are not parent-figures or counsellors. They are friends and guides: someone a young man can call upon, outside of his family and friends who will listen and offer his own experiences without judgement. Volunteers and mentors meet in a relaxed group session, where all participants can get to know each other and a young bloke can choose a mentor he feels most comfortable with. The two then meet regularly, on an ongoing basis, and form a friendship. Menslink also organises and pays for (non-compulsory) monthly activities or events – such as kayaking, surfing, gallery tours, movies, rock climbing and camping. These activities are great for everyone because they provide a fun, safe opportunity for the mentor and mentee to get to know each other, and make friends with others in the program. Our goal Menslink youth mentoring aims to help young men:

• Build resilience and confidence
• Instil a sense of belonging
• Enhance their positive potential in all aspects of life

We're not here to replace dads, uncles or male friends. We are here to provide an extra layer of support that a young man can lean on in times of need. Support in the form of a trusted advisor, and positive friend and role model, who can listen and share advice by drawing on his own life experience.