BECOMING A MENTOR
BECOMING
A MENTOR
BECOMING A MENTOR
Being a tuakana/mentor is simple; be a consistent, positive influence and a friend to a young person in your community. Our mentors come from all walks of life, and have different motivations, but all of them want to make a difference. With community-based mentoring, our mentor-mentee matches hang out once a week for an hour or so and get up to all sorts of activities, from kicking a ball around, baking, or visiting a local sight (find more activity ideas on this extensive list). Building your friendship and having fun with your ‘mentee’ is the number one priority!
Being a ‘Big Brother’ or ‘Big Sister’ is simple. All you have to do is be a friend to one of our fun-loving kids. You and your ‘Little Brother’ or ‘Little Sister’ can do things that you already enjoy doing, such as:
– Kicking a ball around
– Taking a walk on the beach
– Playing a board game
– Hanging out, eating and talking
– Going to the movies
THE APPLICATION PROCESS
At Big Brothers Big Sisters we are committed to safeguarding the children and whānau we support. As a result, all mentors complete an in-depth onboarding process. *Big Brothers Big Sisters reserves the right to decline volunteers throughout this process without reason to ensure the safety of our tamariki.
Enquiry – fill out the form below so we have your details and can learn a little bit about you.
Pre-application – someone from our friendly team will be in touch to complete a pre-application assessment call and get to know you a little bit more.
Application – we’ll give you a full application pack, where you’ll need to provide three references and complete a police vetting form.
Matching list – if we believe you would be a good fit for our programme, you will be added to our matching list. Depending on your location, interests, skillset, and the capacity for us to bring on more matches, you could progress within a few months or stay on the matching list for a year or more.
Interview – you’ll meet with us for an in-person interview that takes about 60-90 minutes, where we’ll get to know you and your own experiences, with a focus on your interests, and your needs or perspective concerning your potential match. This will help us match you with the right mentee.
Training – you’ll attend a 4-hour training course that covers everything about the mentoring process, tips and tricks for any challenges you might encounter, and health and safety.
Matching – once a child has been identified that we think would be a good match for you, and you wish to proceed after learning more about them, we’ll get in touch to arrange your first meeting joined by one of our staff.
Once you’re matched – you will have monthly catch-ups with your mentoring coordinator, as well as ongoing support any time you need it, as you develop your relationship with the young person you’re matched with through weekly hangouts.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS
Enquiry – fill out the form below so we have your details
Pre-application – one of our friendly team will be in touch to complete a pre-application assessment and get to know you a little bit more.
Application – we’ll give you a full application pack, where you’ll need to provide three references and complete a police vetting form.
Interview – you’ll meet our Programme Manager for an in-person interview that takes about an hour, where we’ll talk all about you, your interests and what you’d like to do with a mentee. This will help us match you with the right mentee.
Training – you’ll attend a four-hour training course that covers everything about the mentoring process, tips, and tricks for any challenges you might encounter, and health and safety.
Matching – once a child has been identified that we think would be a good match for you, we’ll get in touch to arrange your first meeting.
Once you’re matched – you will have monthly catch-ups with your mentoring coordinator, as well as ongoing support any time you need it, as you develop your relationship with the young person you’re matched with.
WHO SHOULD APPLY
We accept mentors of any age, any background, and from
any suburb in Auckland. You don’t need to have lots of
experience with children, just an open mind, willingness to
learn and a desire to be a role model. You’ll need to have
a clean police record, a full driver licence, an hour a week
to spare and the ability to commit for a full year of weekly
visits. You’ll also need to pass our interview and
assessment process.
FINDING YOUR MATCH
Big Brothers Big Sisters matches mentors and mentees
based on personality, interests, location and the needs of
both the mentee and mentor. This process can take time
because we want to make sure you are matched with the
right person. We will be in contact to keep you updated
on the process and you are welcome to reach out at any time.
Group Mentoring in School
Group-mentoring in schools is when a mentor facilitates activities for a group of mentee’s after school from 3.15pm-4.45pm, on school grounds. Different to community-based mentoring which is one-on-one and in the community, group-based mentoring is short term (10 weeks) and more structured.
This program aims to build the same skills as one-one-one mentoring in a shorter time frame, and enables more young people to experience the benefit of mentoring.
WHO SHOULD APPLY
We accept mentors of any age, any background, and from any suburb in Auckland. You don’t need to have lots of experience with children, just an open mind, willingness to learn and a desire to be a role model. You’ll need to have a clean police record, a full driver licence, an hour a week to spare and the ability to commit for a full year of weekly visits. You’ll also need to pass our interview and assessment process.
FINDING YOUR MATCH
Big Brothers Big Sisters matches mentors and mentees based on personality, interests, location and the needs of both the mentee and mentor. This process can take time because we want to make sure you get the right person. We will be in regular contact to keep you updated on the process.
