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Indigenous Mentor Program Kicks Off
Monday, 6 May 2024
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The first training session for new mentors in the Indigenous Mentor Program was held on Tuesday 30 April. Ten old boys and three non old boy parents, were taken through a two hour session led by former OIU President and program founder John Allen and current Indigenous Program Manager Kaleb Taylor, where participants were taught about Aboriginal culture, mentoring approaches and risk & compliance before hearing testimonials from previous program mentors and mentees. The stories had a powerful impact on the group, particularly that of Brendan Flanders (OR07) who shared his personal journey as an indigenous student at Riverview to today. Brendan left school to first work with his mentor. He then moved to work in hospitality before finally reeducating himself to become a pilot with Virgin Airlines. He talked about the impact his mentor had on him through this journey and, while they don't speak frequently, are still in touch 17 years later. This story to the powerful and positive impact the Indigenous Mentor Program can have on the lives of not only the indigenous students attending the school but the mentors who travel on the journey. Following the training evening, all 13 participants confirmed that they wanted to continue with the program and so we will be holding the first meeting of mentors and boys at the term II BBQ, which will be held next Thursday May 9, 5:30pm at the Fr. Mac Pavillion. It's so great to see this program back up and running again. However, we still have a need for 17 more mentors to cover the current cohort of first nation boys at the school. Anyone interested should reach out to president@oiu.org.au for more information. |