Effort seeks to help with positive change

A PROGRAM is looking for mentors to help women and non-binary people in Ballarat who are currently interacting with the legal system.

Known as Women and Mentoring or WAM, the program trains and resources supporters so they can provide help to mentees.

“The matches can go anywhere from six months to two years and usually they meet on a weekly basis and what they do together will depend on the person’s goals,” said Ballarat coordinator Emily Murphy.

“It could be to go to court, navigating Centrelink, going for coffee, things like that.

“We look for people with a variety of life experiences and who have empathy and understanding and people who won’t be judgemental.”

The program has been shown to make a positive difference by assisting with confidence, finding coping mechanisms, and responding to legal matters with most participants avoiding a prison sentence and not reoffending.

Mentee, Sharelle Dixon, said the support from her mentor allowed her to finally move forwards.

“There’s lots of women out there like myself who don’t know what to do or they’ve got anxiety, depression and they just aren’t able to do things on their own,” she said.

“They need that bit of a push from a mentor to guide them to move forward.

“I missed my correction orders and tended to go backwards and don’t have the family support or friends’ support.

“Now I am better than I have been before.”

Ms Dixon said she’s been able to achieve many of her goals.

“I am pleased that I am getting there, I had to do two courses to get my licence and I passed so that was an achievement for me,” she said.

“Another achievement was going to the dentist and getting my teeth pulled out and dentures later on, so my mentor made sure I went to the appointments, and I went to court.”

Patricia Powell has been working a a Mentor said working with the program has been a satisfying experience.

“I heard about it from some friends and I thought that sounds like something I would like to do,” she said.

“I have learnt a lot about what’s out there in the community for people in need, which I never knew before, and a lot about myself has changed like realising how much people do need help because of the background they’ve had.”

Ms Powell said she loved seeing the person she’s supporting find happiness.

“The biggest thing of all I think was helping my mentee gain confidence and believe in herself,” she said.

“She’d had an extremely difficult life and had no confidence and didn’t really know how to mix with regular society.

“She realises now she was taken advantage of all her life and now she’s come through a lot of that and realising what life can be like.

“The difference is unbelievable.”

For more information visit womenandmentoring.org.au