The New Zealand Youth Mentoring Network was established to provide a national hub, to be a facilitating service that provides friendly, informed support for the profound human drive to contribute to young people, communities and our shared future through mentoring.
We provide:
- services to the diverse group of providers running mentoring programmes in New Zealand.
- opportunities to participate, share, network and improve the quality of youth mentoring.
- support to organisations, based both in schools and the community, which provide opportunities for young New Zealanders through positive and effective, formal and informal mentoring relationships.
Mentoring is a proactive process that nurtures human potential. International research highlights that mentoring can assist in raising self confidence, developing leadership skills, raising student achievement at school and offering strategies to enhance well-being and lead a purpose-driven life.
As small, close-knit communities have given way to the larger and fast changing groupings of urban living, mentoring has ceased to occur naturally for many of our young people. Youth mentoring programmes are about consciously recreating the interaction that is so necessary for personal wellbeing and enjoyment of a productive life. They strengthen our community because they help young people to achieve goals, form positive relationships and develop feelings of self-worth and efficacy. The mentoring relationship is a pathway toward self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, interpersonal skills, responsible decision-making, and a desire to make a positive contribution.