The power of showing up | raise.org.au
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It wasn’t without challenges. School engagement proved difficult to shift – although we improved ‘school belonging’ for many young people – as schools nationwide face unprecedented hurdles. And, for too many schools, national challenges are compounded by local ones caused by disasters. Like schools, we are concerned about the shortage of mental health professionals. Our early intervention and prevention model works best when we have clear and well-resourced referral pathways. But while the impact is likely to compound, we see the skills our mentors develop through our training and program as part of the solution. Raise mentors feel more equipped to undertake a career working with young people, they learn practical skills from our Program Counsellors and gain a better understanding of mental health – causing a ripple effect through families and communities. Staggering data shows this to be true – 99% of Raise mentors feel a sense of contribution to their community; 99% of Raise mentors feel a sense of purpose from mentoring; and 91% feel increased connection to their community. Raise plays a vital role in skilling tomorrow’s mental health workforce and spreading hope throughout communities – and it’s not just mentors. Ninety-one percent of corporate mentors are proud of their employer’s partnership with Raise, while 97% of the Raise staff team are proud of the work we do. The ripple spreads. While mental health and COVID-19 were the most popular issues for young people, the list also included inclusion – discrimination and LGBTQIA+ issues. In 2022, one in nine Raise mentees identified as outside the gender binary – a group that grows each year – and disproportionately experienced a previous mental health or environmental issue ~ . We’re listening, learning and continuing to enhance our curriculum to ensure it reflects diversity and inclusion and that our mentors are equipped to support and empower all young people.
We also identified more Raise mentees who have caring responsibilities – almost a third in 2022, compared to one in four in 2021 – mostly by changing the question wording, in consultation with Carers NSW, to be more inclusive and tangible. We gain valuable insight by asking the right questions – pivotal to ensuring all voices are heard. That’s also why, in 2022, we launched our embedded survey tool and expanded our collections to include Corporate Partners. Improving our capacity to collect and utilise our data and insights will drive better evaluations, more improvement, and a stronger impact. We’re privileged to share the experiences, outcomes and ideas from the 2022 Raise mentees, mentors, schools, parents and carers in this report. You’ll see the evidence for yourself – when we empower young people, we give them hope, causing a ripple effect on mentors, schools, families and communities. My hope is that this report provides you with new and thought-provoking insight into how collaborative partnerships can be the solution. After all, hope is infectious.
Lucy Snowball Lucy Snowball Data and Youth Insights Director
* Regularly is defined as more than 90% of the time. ~ This figure includes mentees who responded ‘prefer not to say’.
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