- Standing Tall in Hamilton

NEWSLETTER EDITION 11 | TERM 3 | SEPTEMBER 2014
committee; Sheba Gurm (our
Term 3 has proven to be a busy Term, with Students being newly elected chair) and
Marissa Vincent, both from
involved in school events such as the successful school
Baimbridge College, Nikki
production of “Beauty and the Beast” and also in
Sutherland, Paige Cross and
volunteering their time to sell Legacy badges during
Phillip Gillin from the
Legacy week.
It was great to be involved in the Celebrations of 20 years Southern Grampians Council.
We thank them for
of Baimbridge College.
Our mentoring relationships continue to develop, and we volunteering their time to
Standing Tall.
have had many interesting activities taking place
The Annual Report for
throughout the term.
Committee Member Jane Chin
2013/14 is now available on
thanks outgoing Chair Heather
INNER WHEEL STANDING TALL FUNDRAISER the website.
Ward
During the last holidays, the Ladies of Hamilton’s Inner
COMING UP...
Wheel held our third Film Fundraiser Night, watching
TEN YEAR CELEBRATION!!
“Grace of Monaco” at the
National Youth Mentoring Week - 20-26 October
Hamilton Cinema. The night
This year sees Standing Tall celebrate 10 years since it’s
was a roaring success. Many
inception here in Hamilton. We have chosen to celebrate
thanks to the Ladies for
this during National Youth Mentoring Week. We invite all
organising this once again
Mentors, Mentees, both past and present to join us in a
and for their generous
celebration for our tenth birthday. Local paralympic
financial donation. Thanks
athlete Melissa Tapper will be our guest speaker, speaking
also goes to the Mentors
of her experience of mentoring. It will be held at 5pm on
and Mentees that got busy
the 23rd October at the Hamilton District Skills Centre (85
in the kitchen preparing
Mt Baimbridge Road, Hamilton). Please feel free to share
slices for the evening.
this invitation with anyone previously connected with our
Tracey and Jane were invited
program. RSVP to the Standing Tall Office by the Tuesday,
to attend the next Inner
14th October.
Wheel meeting to receive
TERM 3
the proceeds of the evening.
These partnerships allow the Standing Tall Coordinator Tracey
McDonnell pictured here with
great success that Standing
Inner Wheel President,
Tall in Hamilton has been
Faye Gumley
allowed.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
TERM THREE BIRTHDAYS
July
9th - Phillip Gillin (Mentor)
30th - Amba Chace (Peer Mentor)
August
8th - Catherine Fraser (Mentor)
8th - Dr Geoff Handbury (Patron)
31st - Tracey McDonnell (Co-ordinator)
Our Annual General Meeting was held on Monday, 1st
September. Mentees Amba Chace and Yasmine TurnerSumner spoke of their positive experiences in Mentoring.
We farewelled long-term Committee Chairperson Heather September
Ward, and thanked her for many years of dedication to
17th - Aaron Carboon (Mentee)
the program. We welcomed new members onto the
30th - Kyle Janicki (Mentee)
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NEWSLETTER EDITION 11 | TERM 3 | SEPTEMBER 2014
disorder.
• Media portrayal of woman attempts to enforce stereotypes;
Working with Children Check
providing images of woman that are almost unobtainable in
All mentors please ensure that you have added Standing
appearance, airbrushed, sexualised and usually in subordinate
Tall as your volunteering organisation online.
roles to men.
You will find this at MyCheck: https://
• Eating disorders occur ten times more often in female
online.justice.vic.gov.au/wwccu/login.doj?next=chgdet
adolescence, compared with males (Eating Disorders Foundation
This is where you go to update any of your details on your of Victoria Inc).
WWCC card. If you have any trouble with this, please don’t • The three top chronic illnesses effecting girls are obesity,
hesitate to come and see Jane and we can work through it asthma and anorexia nervosa (Eating Disorders Foundation of
together. If you haven’t already created a MyCheck Login, Victoria Inc) .
• The teenage pregnancy rate is less than 2% nationally,
you will have to complete that first.
however in very remote areas of Australia the teenage birth rate
significantly rises to 9%, 4.4% in regional parts and as low as 1%
Car Insurance
in major cities. The majority of teenage pregnancy (69%) is
For those mentors who use their cars for offsite
occurring in the 18 and 19 year age group, while young woman
excursions, please ensure you have provided a copy of
aged 15 years and under account for 4% of teenage pregnancies
your current Comprehensive Car Insurance. Your policy
(ABS, 2009).
number and expiry date are required for our records,
• Girls and woman are stereotypically insubordinate roles to
thanks!
males, and mostly struggle with breaking the ‘glass ceiling’ in the
corporate world.
Photographs
• On beginning puberty, girls usually experience a dip in their
Social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and
self esteem.
SOME HOUSEKEEPING...
blogging represent a growing form of communication
within our community. While we encourage photography
during mentoring time (using the Standing Tall cameras
available), we also need to be aware that the Social Media
policy for Standing Tall allows for these photographs to be
used only for the purpose of Standing Tall. This policy is in
place for the protection of our young people’s privacy.
Mentoring Room
Please ensure that all heating and lights are turned off
after each session before returning the key to the office.
Useful hints from the AYMN Factsheets.
The following is from the Fact Sheet “Mentoring Girls”, you can
read more at www.youthmentoring.org.au or by getting a copy
of the entire Fact Sheet at the Standing Tall office.
Introduction to Mentoring Girls
Young girls have a challenging time along the road to
womanhood:
• puberty,
• a barrage of media stereotypes,
• the struggle to develop a strong self esteem and respect and
• constant peer pressure to fit in.
The role of a mentor in a young girl’s life can offer the support,
build self-esteem, provide affirmation and be an appropriate
role model will help shape her into a strong, independent and
self affirmed young woman.
Challenges Facing Young Women
• Research (Biro, 2010) is suggesting that girls are beginning
puberty at an earlier age. An earlier onset of puberty can
increase the risk of low self esteem and the onset of an eating
Strategies to Build the Relationship
Provide emotional support for your mentee; however also focus
on skill development and achievement of goals (Pryce,
Silverthorn, Sanchez, DuBois, 2010).
• Have fun, the relationship will grow more naturally and
develop confidence in your mentee.
• Support your mentee to channel her anger and develop a
sense of equality and justice.
• Be critical of the media and help your mentee to develop
media literacy; assess media images and content, accept or
reject it and expect more. Refer to the links section below for
more tips and tools.
• Reject the traditional view of females: competitive is not
feminine, girls are not naturally good at maths and science,
beauty is paramount.
• If asked for advice offer options and guide your mentee
through the problem solving process, offer truth about your
experiences as a women.
• Problem Solving : identify the problem, brainstorm solutions,
decide on a plan and follow up.
• Encourage fun and laughter in the relationship.
• Affirm your mentee as a complex individual, not a typecast;
celebrate her uniqueness.
Gender Differences
Usually girls begin puberty before boys, from between 9 to 11
years old.
• Girls speak more words a day than boys.
• Girls experience more outwardly visual changes during
puberty: development of breasts and hips.
• Girls are more likely to learn better when material is presented
in spoken or written format (Preuschof f, 2004).
• Research (Campbell and Storo, 1994) has demonstrated that
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NEWSLETTER EDITION 11 | TERM 3 | SEPTEMBER 2014
challenges regarding low attainment in maths and science of
girls are more to do with individual confidence levels about the
subject rather than the issue of gender.
• Girls use gossiping as a form of stress management (Fuller).
Tips for Success
Build self esteem through focusing on strengths and celebrating
success.
• Help your mentee to develop strategies for learning from
failures and moving on.
• Talk and refer to female role models that are intelligent,
accomplished and inspiring. Ideally do some research and pick
someone in your mentees area of interest.
• Show your mentee what it is to be a good friend; listen, treat
her with respect and affirm her. Encourage her to look for
friends with the same qualities.
• Encourage your mentee to keep active; sport or dance is a
great way for her to develop an awareness of her body and
inner strength.
• If your mentee lacks good role models encourage her to join
an all girl group such as guides, a dance troop or sporting team.
• Be sensitive to the range of emotions your mentee might
experience; these maybe heightened due to menstruation and
puberty.
• Encourage your mentee t o eat a healthy balanced diet,
exercise and get enough sleep.
• Be aware of stereotypes so that you can avoid them: as a
mentor show your mentee examples, women working in maths
and science, girls/women getting along well reaching goals.
• Focus on your mentee’s strengths, build on them and affirm
her as a strong young woman.
• Female mentor’s should be positive about menstruation and
look upon it as part of becoming a woman, something to
celebrate.
• Treat your mentee as a young adult not a girl.
• Provide specific reinforcement; focus on effort and use
descriptive words.
“Rosie, the resume you drafted was detailed and provided
relevant information about the career pathway you are aiming
for”.
• Encourage/model self respect: be kind to yourself, share how
you live a healthy lifestyle, talk positively about yourself and talk
about your strengths.
• Be an advocate for her involvement in maths and science,
instil confidence in her abilities.
Communicating with Girls
Genuinely listen, be present to what your mentee is saying: not
preparing your reply. Watch out for the nonverbal cues and read
between the lines.
• Provide feedback in the form of clarifying comments, listen to
the story and the feelings that your mentee is experiencing.
• Ensure you don’t get stuck rehashing the story, support your
mentee to move forward, reflect and focus on what is within her
control now: what can she do to make the best of the situation.
• Allow your mentee space to process feelings and thoughts.
• Follow your mentees lead on the amount of eye contact to
use.
• Acknowledge your mentee’s feelings: ‘I understand that you
are angry’ or ‘you seem sad?’.
• Use verbal (oh, yes, mmm) and non verbal (nod head, lean
forward) cues to show you are listening.
NEXT TIME: Introduction to Mentoring Boys
THANKS TO OUR
The Standing Tall program in Hamilton is supported by the Victorian Government
through the Engage! program.
The generous financial support of
our Patron Dr Geoff Handbury AO and the Handbury Family Trust strengthens our Community.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT STANDING TALL IN HAMILTON...
CONTACT | TRACEY MCDONNELL & JANE CROWE | STANDING TALL | BAIMBRIDGE COLLEGE
85 STEPHEN STREET | HAMILTON VIC 3300 | 03 5572 2788
ADMIN: standingtall@baimbridge-co.vic.edu.au | COORDINATOR: tmcd.standingtall@baimbridge-co.vic.edu.au
www.standingtallhamilton.com.au
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