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Young Mentors

About this resource

A program bringing together secondary school students in a mentoring capacity with older Australians to share digital skills and knowledge. Schools partner with a community organisation to coordinate weekly one-hour sessions for up to six weeks.

Level

Middle secondary, Upper secondary

Keywords

Intergenerational learning, Digital resilience

Type of resource

Trainer’s guide and lesson plans, timeline template, promotional flyers and posters, slide pack, mentor revision booklet, facilitators guide and certificates.

Timeframe

Two hours of student mentor training, then weekly one-hour mentoring sessions between students and learners for up to six weeks.

Key outcomes

The Young Mentors program builds community engagement by providing secondary school students the opportunity to support older members of the community to develop their digital skills.

Students can participate in the program as part of community work, volunteering, work experience or a leadership program.

Students work as digital mentors, allowing them to develop their teaching, communication and problem-solving skills while making a valuable social contribution.

This program can be used towards the Service section of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

Using this resource

The toolkit contains all the promotional, training, and facilitation materials you will need to successfully recruit and guide your students through the program.

Five simple steps for school coordinators

Register your school to access the toolkit of resources.
Find a community partner such as a library, aged or residential care facility or community group that will recruit older participants to pair up with your students. A sample letter of introduction and program overview are provided in the toolkit to help with this step.
Promote the program to your students. Use flyers, posters, and newsletter articles in the toolkit.
Use the step-by-step training guide and slide pack provided to train students on how to mentor an older person.
Coordinate and supervise the mentoring sessions with your program partner.

Register

What to expect

Students mentor their learners during supervised one-hour sessions, for up to six weeks.

The one-to-one sessions are tailored to cover topics that learners would like to learn. They are fun and informal.

Learners use their own devices, so their new skills can be put into practice straight away.

Here's what teachers thought of the program

Kay, All Saints' College

“Students are encouraged to think for themselves…with the program giving them a view of society beyond themselves," says Kay.

Maria, Beverly Hills Girls High School principal

School principal, Maria, sees the program empowering her students while helping the school build relationships in the community.

Michelle, St Mary's Anglican Girls' School

Michelle loves that the program is led by the students themselves. “It gives them an opportunity to teach and learn new skills.”

Helen, Beverly Hills Girls High School

“The program is an example of reciprocal learning… encouraging students to work with people of different backgrounds," says Helen.

Training the students

The Young Mentors toolkit provides a step-by-step training guide and slide pack to deliver training to your students in mentoring an older person.

The training prepares them for the program and covers the benefits of mentoring, the skills required to mentor, and safety aspects of the program. It also provides students with resources and handouts to help with their mentoring.

Here's what students thought of the program

Carmen, Beverly Hills Girls High School

“It’s a two-way street. It gives me a sense of reward and satisfaction." Carmen, Beverly Hills Girls High School vice captain.

Student, All Saints' College

Listen to how the program supported this student mentor to help an older learner engage online.

Student, Beverly Hills Girls High School

“I’m very privileged to be part of the program," says this Year 12 student.

FAQs

If you still have questions, please look at our frequently asked questions (FAQs) or contact us.

This program has been developed by eSafety as part of the Be Connected Initiative. Be Connected is an Australian Government initiative developed to increase the confidence, digital skills and online safety of older Australians.

eSafety acknowledges all First Nations people for their continuing care of everything Country encompasses — land, waters and community. We pay our respects to First Nations people, and to Elders past and present.

First Nations people should be aware that this website may contain images and voices of people who have died.

Find information and resources for First Nations people.

Read our Reconciliation Action Plan.