Description:
Can you spare 2-3 hours per week?
We have an amazing opportunity for women who are interested in mentoring and supporting other women in the community.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Women and Mentoring – WAM Limited (WAM) is an early intervention, community-based crime prevention program for women, transwomen and non-binary people who are being charged, or are likely to be charged, with a criminal offence. Our aim is to reduce incarceration and recidivism, and to promote social inclusion for women, transwomen and non-binary people who are contact with the justice system.
WAM relies on volunteer mentors who utilise their own social capital and life experiences to empower women to create positive change in their lives.
The program aims to reduce offending through the development of trusting one-on-one relationships, with activities based on participants’ own goals for their practical and social support needs.
WAM mentors not only provide support at court but also provide flexible, holistic, longer-term support. Mentors help participants navigate and access local services and community resources, support them to achieve their goals and help build their life away from the justice system.
WAM encourages volunteers to apply from diverse backgrounds, such as women with lived experience of the justice system, First Nations women, CALD women, women from LGBTIQA+ backgrounds and women with disabilities.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
WAM mentors are good listeners who trust that women are the experts of their own experiences. Mentors believe in a community that is safe and welcoming for all women.
WAM mentors are carefully selected, screened, and trained before working in the program. Each mentor is required to participate in regular supervision with program staff and other WAM mentors.
Key functions of the mentoring role are:
- Building rapport : Mentors focus on listening carefully and attentively to their participant and to focus on hearing the strengths; feeding back about how utilising her strengths she may be able to manage issues and difficulties herself (rather than fixing them for her).
- Practical Assistance : Mentors could write court support letters, assist participants to search out and access resources, send appointment reminders, and other tasks as required by the participant. Often this involves working with professional services such as court, police, and the social service sector.
- Boundaries: The mentor is a voluntary representative of WAM and behaves professionally at all times. However, as the role is voluntary, the mentor is also required to consider when activities that are beyond the scope of their role and access assistance and referrals with informed consent from the participant.
- Social connectedness : Mentors work with participants on connecting with the community around them. Mentors are knowledgeable about opportunities for positive connections in volunteering, employment, social, activity groups.
KEY REQUIREMENTS
Successful applicants will identify as women and will have:
- The ability to demonstrate effective active listening skills and exercise self-awareness
- An alignment to WAM values (integrity, empowerment, respect, belonging, social justice)
- Regular availability during the day, either to receive phone calls or meet face-to-face
- The ability to exhibit a non-judgmental attitude to alternate life choices/ life-styles
- A warm and practical approach, as well as the capacity to be assertive and set firm boundaries
- The capacity to commit to the program for at least twelve months
DESIRABLE ATTRIBUTES
-
Some existing knowledge of local community services and the criminal justice system would be a great advantage.
-
We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and non-binary people.
TIME COMMITMENT
- Orientation Training delivered over two full days
- Commitment of approximately 2-3 daytime hours per week for direct work with your participant, could be
face-to-face catch-ups or phone calls/texts - Administration tasks as required such as writing up a summary of your catch-ups
- Attendance at monthly group supervision meetings
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information contact Michelle Culpitt (Mentor Program Coordinator) volunteer@womenandmentoring.org.au