MAY/JUNE  2011 NEWSLETTER

“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”

-       Nelson Henderson.

Hi to all in the YMAP family,

I discovered the quotation above very recently and it resonated with me immediately. I can’t think of any more poetic a way to sum up the mentoring experience than this and please try and take it with you next time you are working with a young person.

As I’ve related to most of you so many times, regardless of what you may think at the time, you can and are making a positive difference in the lives of our young people. And, as always, I thank you for that. You people continue to amaze me!

OK, I know I’ve been bombarding you with information recently, so I’ll try and make this short and sweet.

It’s a sweet, get it?

OK, I’m leading with something important here, so take note. As a general rule we have traditionally had a YMAP mentor get-together every six months, one at Christmas and one about now. We like to get the YMAP family together to share stories and relax over some food and drinks. BUT, IN ORDER TO ARRANGE SUCH A SHINDIG, WE NEED TO KNOW SOME NUMBERS.

So if we were to arrange our mid-year bash for likely a Thursday night in mid-June, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to let us know if you are interested and able to attend. Folks, I can’t make it any easier than that. Click if you would like to attend – or don’t!

Now, some congratulations due to my M & MVLLEN colleague, Natalie Thomas. Her Braybrook Homework and Literacy Support Program is up and running and from all I can understand is proving to be remarkably successful. I checked out what was going down at the Churchill Avenue venue last Thursday evening and the vibe about the place was awesome.

Both Natalie and I would like to thank those YMAP mentors who have decided to double up and take on a role with the new program. Your commitment to young people is admirable.

If you’d like to know more about her program – or if you are student with YMAP who is seeking more placement hours  - please contact Natalie on 0403 168476 or via email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

And just on extra placement hours, our semester two Braybrook Secondary College YMAP Program is likely to be extended to out of school hours to help support the VCAL students as they transition out of education and into the ‘real world’. This is an ideal opportunity to get those valuable placement hours, so if you are interested let myself or Karina know.

The above is an image of Karina and I recently, when Karina discovered that we have reached a total of 50 new volunteers in 2011. YMAP is only as huge as it is because of your generosity of spirit and I take this opportunity to say thankyou. I have mentioned this before but it is worth noting that Karina and I have been thrilled, not only by the numbers getting involved, but by the calibre of the people becoming YMAP volunteers.

Somewhat sadly, this week brings the curtain down on our semester one Essendon Keilor College Program, the first 2011 program to come to an end. The mentors involved will be loathe to say goodbye to many of these young people, as is always the case when the journey ends. Hopefully a number of you will be back at Niddrie in semester two and you might catch up with some of the kids again.

And whilst we might be sad to be saying farewell, a bit of random feedback on the evaluation forms done by the students might cheer your mood:

-          “The best part of the mentoring program for me has been meeting all these new people who have sacrificed things to make time for us”;

-          “Having a good relationship with my mentor and having them help was very good”;

-          “I was able to learn how to apply for a job and the kind of classes I need to do next year”; and

-          “Speaking and discussing different pathways has helped me on the decision of my future”.

Nice !

Anyway, finally I’ve got to say a huge thankyou to the mentoring fraternity who rallied at the last minute to help fill the quota at Gilmore Girls College. In a week of me pleading to get a full one-to-one ratio as we return to the school six of you lovely people bumped up the numbers successfully. Thanks folks! I met the girls this week and they are genuinely excited about meeting the mentors when the program commences this week.

But the hard work isn’t over. We still have second semester program commitments to fulfil.

As of last week we have finalised the arrangements for all but two of 2011 programs. See below for the list of programs we are now focusing on filling. As usual, if you may be interested please let myself or Karina know

Please note - Depending on the school, period times may vary slightly, however, as a general rule:

-          P 1 – 2 is approx. 8.45am to around 11 am;

-          P 3 – 4 is approx. 10.45am to around 1pm;

-          P 5 – 6 is approx. 12.45pm to around 3 pm.

# - Please note that the second Braybrook program is likely to expand into an ‘out of hours’ program in the latter half of the year. The school has expressed an interest in having mentors and students work together during school hours – as per usual – and then expanding the relationship to include an extra hour or two at the end of the school day. YMAP mentors on student placement might find this an ideal way to get extra placement hours.

And that, my very dear YMAP family, is about it for now. Again, sorry for bombarding you with so much information recently but we in the midst of a very challenging year and we need you all aboard to maintain our high standards.

Greg Blake

Youth Worker

Co-ordinator - Youth Mentoring Assisted Pathways Program (YMAP)

Maribyrnong Moonee Valley LLEN

40 Bellair Street , Kensington

P.O. Box 78 Flemington 3031

03 93767251

Mob.0422673847

email - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it