Creating Opportunities And Casting Hope
SEEING PEOPLE IN TOUGH PLACES FLOURISH THROUGH MENTORING
COACH is a community-strengthening program that aims to empower individuals and families through one-to-one mentoring, breaking generational cycles of poverty and family breakdown.
A Family Mentor is a friend with purpose, who offers practical help and mentoring towards the family’s life goals. The aim is to strengthen the whole family through a one-to-one mentoring relationship between a volunteer and a parent.
Run in over 140+ locations in Australia and the UK, and commencing in Hervey Bay in 2020, we are seeing steady growth in capacity with over 20+ trained mentors currently available.
On-going professional development along with regular supervision is available for the mentors through the coordinator who ensures both the participants and mentors are working effectively together.
2022 saw an increase in the number of families requiring care and we had 13 families being mentored by end of the year.
We partner with local referral agencies such as The Neighbourhood Centre, Churches of Christ Family Care and Connect, ACT for Kids, Anglicare, School Guidance Officers and more recently local Women’s Shelters. These agencies work closely with families for shorter amounts of time and see the value of a mentor providing on-going for longer term support to ensure goals and changes are followed up.
The fourteen hour initial training for Family Mentors covers an introduction to mentoring as well as boundaries, risks and understanding healthy families.
Di Priest - COACH Coordinator
Di is Tassie born and bred, married to Phil for 41 years and is mum to three adult sons & grandmother to 4 granddaughters.
Di has served in cross-cultural missionary work in PNG, and as Principal in two Christian schools on the North-West Coast of Tasmania, plus Director of School Chaplaincy ACT for 6 years and more recently served as Head of Learning Support and Wellbeing at Heritage Christian School in Port Macquarie. Di is now serving as the COACH Coordinator for Hervey Bay Baptist Church training volunteer mentors to provide care and support to disadvantaged families in the Wide Bay area.
Di is a trained counsellor, mentor and workshop facilitator and is continuing her studies in Professional Supervision.
Di has served in cross-cultural missionary work in PNG, and as Principal in two Christian schools on the North-West Coast of Tasmania, plus Director of School Chaplaincy ACT for 6 years and more recently served as Head of Learning Support and Wellbeing at Heritage Christian School in Port Macquarie. Di is now serving as the COACH Coordinator for Hervey Bay Baptist Church training volunteer mentors to provide care and support to disadvantaged families in the Wide Bay area.
Di is a trained counsellor, mentor and workshop facilitator and is continuing her studies in Professional Supervision.