Youth workers mentor young people to re-engage

IN AN INCREASINGLY complex world, young people seek more support and guidance to navigate the myriad of issues they face today. Rising to this challenge are youth workers, who strive to create a positive impact in the lives of our youth.

Bringing a genuine passion for helping disadvantaged and disengaged young people is former Gordon student and youth worker Tiani Pompey.

“I’ve always been passionate about helping others and planned to work with young people since I was a teenager,” she said.

“After high school, I went to university to become a teacher. COVID led me to defer my studies, and during this break, I realised there were many other avenues for me to work with young people. I was more passionate about helping people in a holistic and mental health-based approach.”

Youth work at The Gordon is a popular course, with students looking to learn the skills to provide young people with the emotional and social connectedness needed to engage in their community and achieve their goals.

Gavin Wake, principal of the VCE program at The Gordon, said: “Youth work students get real hands-on experience working with our young people, and the mentoring is very effective. It’s a win-win, with the experience setting up our Youth Work students to do great things in the community.”

For Ms Pompey, running workshops with the VET and VCAL students was very enjoyable and provided the opportunity to practice classroom learnings. Her work placement expanded on this experience and led her to permanent employment.

“I took on placement at St Joseph’s Flexible Learning Centre. I gained a lot of experience working with young people with complex needs and various blocks to accessing education. I used my training to create positive relationships with young people and help in the classroom,” she said.

“Having real experience in a youth work setting helped me to understand what my role would be like once working in this sector. It made me feel confident in my abilities, and I now work as a Youth Worker at St Joseph’s Flexible Learning Centre.”

Working alongside a teacher to support young people in engaging in their education, Tiani described her role: “Every day is different, but my time is often spent providing one-on-one support for young people’s wellbeing and engagement, as well as connecting with their communities to create a network of positive relationships for that young person.”

Youth work is part of the Victorian Government’s Free TAFE initiative. To learn more about a career in youth work, register for The Gordon’s May Information Session on Tuesday, May 2 from 5pm at thegordon.edu.au

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