Sharing the Kaupapa workshops - overview

These workshops are designed to build mentoring capabilities. We offer three separate one-day sessions: 

Sharing the Kaupapa one: Introducing the Youth Mentoring Guide to Safe and Effective Practice.  

This workshop provides an indepth introduction to the new Guide to enable people to easily navigate and use it in their work, and to build awareness of effective and safe practice in youth mentoring.

Sharing the Kaupapa two: Quality Relationships in Youth Mentoring

This workshop focuses on the art of forming and maintaining relationships with young people in mentoring.

This workshop was developed collaboratively and through relationships. We have acknowledged diverse perspectives and a range of experiences in youth mentoring. The workshop and accompanying workbook were written by Rod Baxter, with active support from the NZYMN Trustees, Ross McCook and specialist advice from Yvonna Ualesi, Grendon Boynton and 20 other advisors from across the motu.  

Sharing the Kapapa three: Whai Wāhitanga: Active Youth Participation in Mentoring

This workshop is all about encouraging active youth participation in mentoring.

Further details on each of these workshops is provided in the following paragraphs. 

Sharing the Kaupapa one: Introducing the Youth Mentoring Guide to Safe and Effective Practice

This first workshop provides an in depth introduction to the new Guide to enable people to easily navigate and use it in their work, and to build awareness of effective and safe practice in youth mentoring.

Workshop purpose:

The revised Guide serves as a ready-reference manual, offering practical advice and guidance on how best to approach the provision of high-quality mentoring in day-to-day operations. The workshop will:

• Introduce the Guide so that you can easily use it back in your work.
• Build awareness of effective and safe practice in youth mentoring.
• Meet with others in your region, learn together, and build stronger regional networks.

Who should attend?

Youth workers, educators, mentors, mentor programme providers, central and local government agency staff and community workers - people working with young people, helping them achieve positive outcomes and to reach their potential.

Sharing the Kaupapa two: Quality Relationships in Youth Mentoring 

This workshop is focused on the art of forming and maintaining relationships with young people in mentoring. 

Workshop objectives

• To learn more about effective mentoring
• To develop specialised skills to build relationships with young people
• To reintroduce and remind practitioners about the Guide to Effective and Safe Practice in Youth Mentoring (2nd edition)
• To expand upon Section 3 of the Guide: The Mentoring Relationship
• To provide new frameworks, research and skills to strengthen quality mentoring relationships, available for all levels of mentoring programme delivery, including coordinators, teachers, mentors, youth workers and volunteers.
• To strengthen regional and national networks in the well-established youth mentoring community
• To have fun!

Who should attend?

This workshop is for people who work with young people, including: mentors, mentor programme providers, youth workers, educators, school counsellors, pastors, central and local government agency staff and community workers.

Workshop content and structure

The workshop is structured to mirror the typical mentoring relationship journey.

Youth mentoring recognises culture.

• What are the unique indigenous approaches to mentoring in Aotearoa?
• What are our cross-cultural competencies?
• How do our cultures weave throughout everything we explore?

Youth mentoring requires contemplation

• How do we reflect on our motivations to mentor?
• How do we consider what young people are looking for and need?
• Can we name programme aims, goals and expectations?

Youth mentoring prioritises connections

• How to connect with young people? What works?
• How are mentoring relationships formed?
• Can we reflect on mentors in our own lives, and their impact on us now?

Youth mentoring creates covenants

• How can we co-create with young people a shared purpose and goals?
• How do we set boundaries and expectations?
• Who needs to be involved in the relational agreement or ‘covenant’?

Youth mentoring includes challenges

• How can we respond to defiant and challenging behaviour?
• How do we avoid power struggles and conflict?
• How can we refocus, repair and get relationships back on track?

Youth mentoring needs continuity

• What skills and qualities can we apply as relationships mature?
• How do mentoring relationships develop long term?
• What kinds of ritual and rhythms can we create?

Youth mentoring enables change

• What impact are our relationships actually having?
• How can we evaluate progress and the covenant?
• How do we know we’ve made a difference?

Sharing the Kaupapa three: Whai Wāhitanga: Active Youth Participation in Mentoring

This workshop is all about encouraging active youth participation in mentoring.

Workshop Objectives

• Learn more about effective mentoring, with a particular focus on the unique perspective of young people.
• Practise what we preach and involve young people in training others about youth mentoring.
• Support young people to share their experiences in mentoring.
• Consider what helps and hinders young people engaging in mentoring.
• Understand and enable the conditions of real youth participation (what needs to be in place).
• Become familiar with relevant models and frameworks, starting with mātauranga Māori and locating ourselves in a global context.
• Reflect on your own, and your organisation’s capacity to involve young people in decisions that affect them.
• Develop specialised skills, in mentors and mentoring organisations, that encourage and support youth participation in decision making.
• Strengthen regional and national networks in the well-established youth mentoring community.

Workshop content and structure 

1. Understanding Whai Wāhitanga in mentoring.
2. Thinking through models of participation including indigenous approaches and Wierenga’s Star.
3. Hearing the voice of young people in mentoring.
4. Exploring 7 pointers for practice: a process for supporting participation.
5. Using a new reflective tool.