A $5000 Give Wangaratta grant will enable Big Brothers Big Sisters to continue to deliver its invaluable services to the Wangaratta and surrounding community.

For the past three and a half years, vulnerable and at-risk Wangaratta youth have engaged with the community-based organisation for one-on-one mentoring to change the course of their lives for the better.

Wangaratta Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring coordinator, Caz Sammon, said this grant is essential as there is no ongoing government funding, with the organisation relying solely on the generosity of the community.

“We’re so grateful for the support from Give Wangaratta and Into Our Hands...they’re both long-term supporters of the Big Brothers Big Sisters youth mentoring program,” Caz said.

“A lot of our young people are isolated, vulnerable, due to a whole lot of reasons, whether its family circumstances, out-of-home care.

“But the one factor they all have in common is they need some additional support and they need an adult who will show up for them.”

In a time where struggling young people are at risk of disengagement and are oftentimes being left behind, Big Brothers Big Sisters aspire to foster a sense of hopefulness instead of hopelessness.

“These young people referred in, they’re amazing… with so much potential,” Caz said.

“We just want to provide that hand of support… to help them fulfill their potential.

“And so we’re providing that support and role modelling; being cheerleaders in the lives of young people and allowing them to imagine a different future.”

Caz said the program promotes improved engagement with education, lowered risk of substance abuse and contact with the law; evidence that not only points toward positive outcomes for young people, but also the wider community.

“There’s definitely flown-on effects from mentoring,” she said.

“For each young person who’s in the program, the benefits flow on to all the people around them.

“As well as young people, our mentors are always surprised about how much they get out of being in the program.

Caz is seeking more volunteers to help with a with a growing waiting list of of young people waiting for a mentor.

The commitment is only an hour or two each week, but over the long-term, a friendship and sense of trust develops.

"We match (adult volunteers) really carefully - one-on-one - with a young person based on a whole range of factors... interests, preferences, life experience, background, need," she said.

"Ideal volunteers are people who make good friends - reliable, non-judgemental, good listeners, and who have the capacity to give an hour or two a week.

"They don't need any special skills; they just need to be regular humans and want to turn up and be there for a young person."

Caz explained that each week, the adult volunteer and the young person will catch up for an hour or two and enjoy a mutual interest or free, low cost activity.

"It's really about time spent, turning up for someone," she said.

Anyone interested in volunteering can call 1300 463 686 or email caz.sammon@bbbsau.org.