National youth mentoring charity, Raise Foundation has announced an expansion in South Australia on the back of the success of current programs in the State.

With suicide being the leading cause of death in young people and one in four being diagnosed with a mental health condition, Raise’s expansion is welcomed by parents, educators and youth support workers.

Two secondary schools, Hallett Cove High School and Unley High School, will join four other schools in SA to ensure more young people get the chance to feel heard, valued and supported at this crucial time in their lives.

Robust and proven one-to-one mentoring for Year 8s and 9s will be delivered via the Raise Mentoring Program in these schools, alongside current programs at Blackwood, Underdale, Salisbury East and Salisbury High Schools.

South Australia now needs 105 volunteers across six schools to offer two hours of their time each week as mentors to students. Raise mentors benefit by being able to give back and connect with community while being offered high quality accredited training, and the unique opportunity to make a real difference in a young person’s life.

Shani Prideaux, South Australia’s Program Counsellor says that positive and neutral role models, outside of the family, can be a game-changer for teens navigating the tough middle-years.

“I believe that teenagers now have more to deal with than any previous generation. Just listening to a young person’s day to day life and challenges is a unique gift that our mentors give on a weekly basis,” she says.

“In these small windows of time across the school year I’ve seen beautiful connections built, not only benefitting the mentee innumerably, but also the mentor. I’m so proud of the work we do every day and look forward to seeing what transformations we can make this year as we bring on our new cohort.”

Youth mentoring is a rewarding experience that makes a real difference. For more information or to sign up as a mentor visit the Raise website.

Program Name	Day	Time
Hallett Cove High School	Wednesday	1.10pm – 3.10pm
Hallett Cove High School	Thursday	1.10pm – 3.10pm
Blackwood High School	Tuesday	11.00am – 1.00pm
Unley High School	Wednesday	1.30pm – 3.30pm
Salisbury East High School	Wednesday	11.30pm – 1.30pm
Salisbury High School	Monday	1.10pm – 3.10pm
Underdale High School	Wednesday	9:35am – 11:35am