Supporting our local youth with Big Brothers Big Sisters

Members of the community are encouraged to get behind an upcoming awareness event organised by Wangaratta High School students in support of local not-for-profit Big Brothers Big Sisters. The event, which will be held on 1 September 2026 from 7pm at the school's PAC, will focus on highlighting the organisation's need for more mentors to meet the demand in the local community, accompanied by a community raffle. Big Brothers Big Sisters connects young people with caring adult mentors who can provide friendship, guidance, encouragement and support. In this event, audiences will learn about what mentoring involves and how they can make a difference in a young person's life. The evening has been organised by students as part of a community project focused on supporting young people and raising awareness of the importance of positive mentoring relationships. The student organisers, Dylan McCombe, Claire Shilcock and Ryan McCombe, said their support for the organisation hails from the belief that all young people deserve a support system. "There's a lot of people who can't get out or anything like that... it's good to have mentors to help them out," Dylan said. Speaking to her own experience as a mentee through Big Brothers Big Sisters, Claire said the event presents a good opportunity for the community to help out a young person who needs support. "It was nice to get out of the house... it's just someone else to get out and do stuff with" she said. One factor Claire said could hold people back from mentoring is thinking they might not be "capable", but the event aims to remind them their time and effort is valuable for a young person. Attendees will hear from mentors who will speak about their experiences, explain why mentoring is important and to showcase the positive impact having a supportive person in a young person's life can have. “We have a growing list of young people in Wangaratta waiting to be matched with a supportive adult, and so we’re so grateful to Claire, Ryan and Dylan for their initiative to raise awareness of Big Brothers Big Sisters and the difference mentoring can make," said Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring coordinator Caz Sammon. "We hope their efforts will encourage people to consider whether they could give a little of their time to support a young person and potentially change a life.”

Supporting our local youth with Big Brothers Big Sisters

Wangaratta Chronicle, Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Legacy in stone: Wangaratta remembers Thommo and Vadim

Bright to stay

WorkSafe probes overnight elevator trapping at courthouse

Most popular stories

Wangaratta Chronicle, Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Legacy in stone: Wangaratta remembers Thommo and Vadim

Bright to stay

WorkSafe probes overnight elevator trapping at courthouse