MENTORING FOR BOYS

Head to Get in Touch to submit your enquiry and we’ll be in touch. We’ll talk through the program, what’s involved and our availability in your area. From that first conversation, you’ll have all the details so you can plan the inclusion of the mentoring program in your school calendar and schedule. If a phone conversation isn’t your thing, we can chat over email.

We’ll work with you to identify students you feel would benefit from taking part. It might best suit the boys who display leadership qualities, those who need extra support and guidance, the more reserved or quiet boys in the year group, or a combination. We’ll support you with our 20+ years of experience mentoring boys and young men to select a diverse group of students.

8-12 students per group is ideal so they can gain the most out of the program. Depending on the dynamics of the group and the needs of the boys, we can also work with more or fewer students.

Long-term change takes time and consistent support, which is exactly why our programs run across one full term and are co-facilitated by two qualified Youth Workers.
Each weekly session is 45 minutes, but it feels like it goes by with ease thanks to frequent movement and brain breaks.

We believe in the power of professional guidance to help boys grow. Our program facilitators are qualified Youth Workers and hold tertiary qualifications in Youth Work, Social Welfare or Psychology. Our entire team carries Working with Children and National Police checks.
Our Youth Workers act as positive role models, helping to expand the students’ circle of influence.

Yes. Workshop content adheres to all National Mentoring Benchmarks as set by the Australian Youth Mentoring Network. Workshop content is also assessed and approved by an independent committee comprised of psychologists, educators, researchers and parents. Program content is continually updated with the latest research and has a stringent evaluation framework to measure the program’s impact. In particular, we measure outcomes including the degree of improved wellbeing, changes in behaviour and attitudes and increases in knowledge and skill set.

Whilst it is beneficial for a teacher to be present during the program, it’s not mandatory. Teachers are always welcome, and we highly encourage it, though we do understand from time to time this is not possible. Feedback received from teachers who have stayed for the workshops includes positive reactions to the new strategies they’ve discovered to help support their students. Plus when teachers are present, our Youth Workers can then work with them to address any areas of concern or issues they may be experiencing.
We also ask teachers to be part of our evaluation process by completing a post-program survey and discussing any behavioural issues or disclosures that occur outside the program sessions. 
At the end of the program, the boys will graduate from Top Blokes. This is an important and significant milestone and we welcome teachers, principals, local funders and parents support to make this Graduation Ceremony a memorable event.

By observing our Youth Workers, teachers can gain additional insights into working with boys. Our newsletter, plus our latest articles and downloads on the website, also share additional valuable information that can help.

Please chat with our team about the specific needs of your students. The more we understand, the more prepared with real-life, specific examples we can be.

Our qualified Youth Workers are trained in assessing and responding to mental health incidents. Our team also receive ongoing training and development in key areas such as youth mental health, suicide prevention and intervention, trauma in youth and cultural awareness.
If a student needs to leave the room, one of our Youth Workers will be on hand to check in and support. The remainder of the workshop will be led by our second Youth Worker.
Mandatory reporting procedures (both online and with the school’s management) are always followed as needed.

Three key outcome themes – Belonging, Being, Becoming – are the backbone of the programs and outcomes are measured against these. Pre-program surveys are completed by students and teachers. Post-program surveys are completed by students, parents and teachers. All survey data is used to measure outcomes. A full report is provided to the school upon completion of surveys and evaluations.
To learn more about the impact of all our programs, visit Our Impact page. You can learn more about our impact across all our programs.

At the end of the program, boys are asked if they would like to invite their parents or carers to attend their graduation. We also have a Supporters’ Program which gives parents and caregivers information about each workshop topic and some great question prompts to start a conversation with them about it. This helps take the conversations happening in the program back into the home, further reinforcing the learnings and connection.