A meaningful relationship with a caring adult outside the family can be transformative for a young person facing adversity. Youth mentoring — pairing young people with supportive volunteer or professional mentors — is one of the most evidence-supported youth development interventions. Grant funding supports the organisations that recruit, train, match, and support mentors and the young people they walk alongside.
The evidence
Youth mentoring has strong evidence across multiple outcomes:
- Improved school attendance and academic engagement
- Reduced risk behaviour (substance use, early sexual activity)
- Improved mental health and wellbeing
- Stronger sense of future orientation and aspiration
- Enhanced social skills and emotional regulation
The evidence is strongest for:
- Long-term relationships (12+ months)
- Well-matched pairs (mentor and mentee share interests and background)
- Structured programmes with adequate training and support
- Mentors who are reliable, consistent, and affirming
Who benefits most
Evidence suggests mentoring is most impactful for young people who face:
- Family adversity (poverty, parental illness, family instability)
- Disconnection from education
- Social isolation
- Justice involvement
- Being in out-of-home care
Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia
BBBS is the best-known youth mentoring brand globally — operating in major Australian cities:
- Community-based mentoring (volunteer adult mentors)
- Site-based mentoring (school settings)
- Youth mentoring for Indigenous young people
- Partly philanthropically funded
Raise Foundation
School-based mentoring for teenagers at risk:
- Trained volunteer mentors in schools
- Weekly group mentoring sessions
- Focus on engagement, belonging, and hope
- Evidence-based programme model
- Philanthropically funded
The Smith Family
The Smith Family runs mentoring as part of its education focus:
- Learning for Life scholarships
- Student2Student reading programme (peer mentoring)
- Career mentoring
StreetWork and street-level mentoring
Informal mentoring through street outreach programmes:
- Youth workers as informal mentors
- Outreach to disconnected young people
CareerTrackers
Mentoring for Indigenous university students:
- Corporate mentors paired with Indigenous university students
- Internship and career development support
Department of Social Services
DSS funds some youth mentoring through:
- Volunteer and community activities
- Youth Justice programmes
State youth departments
State governments fund youth mentoring through:
- Youth justice programmes (mentoring for justice-involved youth)
- Care leaver programmes (mentoring for young people leaving care)
- Schools programmes
Sporting Schools and sport mentoring
Sport-based mentoring has grown — sporting clubs as mentoring environments.
Community-based one-to-one mentoring
Classic Big Brothers Big Sisters model — volunteer adult matched with young person:
- 12-month commitment
- Mentor training and matching
- Regular support from programme staff
- Activities focused on relationship-building
School-based mentoring
Mentoring delivered in school settings:
- Peer mentoring (older students mentoring younger)
- Adult volunteer mentors in schools
- Group mentoring programmes
- Academic mentoring and tutoring
Career and employment mentoring
Young people transitioning to work:
- Corporate mentors
- Industry-specific mentors
- Internship support
- Resume and interview coaching
Indigenous youth mentoring
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people:
- Indigenous-led mentoring programmes
- Cultural mentors (Elders)
- Sport and recreation-based mentoring
- School and employment pathway mentoring
Justice-involved youth mentoring
Young people in contact with the justice system:
- Mentoring as part of diversion
- Court-ordered mentoring
- Post-release mentoring
- Throughcare mentoring (in custody and post-release)
Care-experienced youth mentoring
Young people leaving foster care:
- Independent living mentoring
- Transition from care programmes
- Peer mentors with lived care experience
Corporate mentoring has grown significantly:
- Corporate volunteering (employee mentors)
- Diversity mentoring (culturally diverse mentees with senior mentors)
- Indigenous employment mentoring (CareerTrackers model)
- Graduate mentoring
For grant purposes, corporate partnerships that provide mentors, training, or funding in exchange for brand association or employee development outcomes are valuable.
Relationship length and quality
Funders know that brief mentoring relationships (under 6 months) produce limited outcomes. Show a commitment to long-term (12+ month) relationships and robust matching. Address what happens when a relationship doesn't work.
Volunteer recruitment and retention
Volunteer mentoring depends on volunteer supply — show your recruitment strategy, screening process (including Working With Children Checks), training model, and retention approaches. Mentor no-shows are a significant programme risk.
Targeted young people
Show who specifically benefits — not generic "at-risk youth" but defined, named populations with specific challenges. The more specific your target group, the more compelling the application.
Outcome measurement
Mentoring outcomes can be measured — standardised wellbeing tools, school attendance data, aspirations surveys, goal progress tracking. Show that you measure more than relationship duration.
Safeguarding
Mentoring involves one-on-one relationships between adults and young people — rigorous safeguarding is essential. Show your Working With Children Check processes, mentoring session policies, and reporting mechanisms.
Tahua's grants management platform supports youth development funders and mentoring organisations — with mentoring relationship tracking, volunteer management, young person outcome measurement, and the reporting tools that help youth mentoring funders demonstrate their investment in Australia's next generation.