Kristyn Comino
The Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) provides educational programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school students to reach their goals – and they are looking for more University of Canberra students to help them aim high.
University students are invited to apply to become mentors in 2015 to help provide educational workshops and support on campus for Indigenous high school students in Years 9-10 from across the Canberra region.
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AIME representative Cleveland McGhie and UC student and AIME mentor Rochelle Riley on campus. Photo: Kristyn Comino
Having partnered with the University for the first time last year, 45 student mentors took part in the first Canberra programs in 2014, joining 1,500 mentors Australia-wide. One of the University's mentors was second-year sports media student Rochelle Riley, 26, who said she will continue working with the program this year because it was so rewarding.
"It's a powerful experience to work with young people who are taking steps to realise their dreams. The program was very practical based, giving students the life skills and tools they need to reach university or any other career goals they have," Ms Riley said.
"I found some of the students weren't sure what university was like and some even thought it was unattainable, so it was empowering to help them see their own potential and show them steps and solutions to achieve their goals."
Ms Riley and the other University mentors helped deliver programs on campus last year including mock job interviews, teamwork tasks, career goal workshops and even getting students to pretend to be Prime Minister for a day. These activities ran alongside other national AIME events such as Indigenous leadership panels and singing and dancing competitions for the students.
Canberra AIME program assistant/presenter and Raiders' under 20s player Cleveland McGhie, 19, went through the initiative himself in his home town of Wollongong. He said mentors provided valuable inspiration to about 4,500 young Indigenous minds across the country in 2014, with more expected this year.
"AIME mentors give Indigenous students the skills, opportunities and confidence to grow and succeed. Mentors become superheroes in the eyes of the school students," Mr McGhie said.
"There is a known gap between Indigenous high school students transferring from Year 10 into senior secondary study, university or even full-time employment. AIME is proven to be bringing down the barriers and helping close these gaps, and mentors help us do that."
This year's AIME program will run over four days between May and November and a celebration day will be held at the end of the program. Mr McGhie said training is provided for mentors and the program is designed to fit around their university timetables so it doesn't interfere with their studies.
The University of Canberra works alongside the Australian National University to deliver AIME programs in the region, with the ANU working with Canberra-based Indigenous students and the University of Canberra focusing on Indigenous students from schools across regional NSW, including Goulburn, Queanbeyan, Yass and Booroowa.
Students can apply to be an AIME mentor by visiting their website: aimementoring.com
