THE DIFFERENCE A RELATIONSHIP CAN MAKE : when a mentor and mentee grow together

Mentoring at WAM is about creating space for young women to build confidence, make choices and find their own way forward. Alongside that journey, mentors often experience their own growth:  developing new skills, perspectives and confidence through the relationships they build. 

One of WAM’s mentors first joined while studying at university and balancing her studies with part-time work. From the beginning, she brought a genuine commitment to mentoring, a natural ability to connect with others and a willingness to learn and take on new opportunities. Over three years, her experiences both within and outside of WAM broadened her confidence, interests and ideas about what she might want for her own future. 

She was matched with a participant through our Young Women’s Program, beginning a mentoring relationship that would see both young women learn from each other and grow alongside one another. 

Over the course of their mentoring relationship, the participant became increasingly confident in advocating for herself, making decisions about what she wanted for her future and recognising when and where to seek support. Her mentor was growing too, building on the strengths she already brought to the role and developing greater confidence in her judgement, communication and ability to support another young woman while encouraging her independence. 

Eventually, their growth brought the formal mentoring relationship to a natural graduation point. Both young women had come a long way from where they had started, and it was the right time to celebrate that. 

Several months later, following a significant change in circumstances, the participant reached out to her former mentor for support. Together, they completed a self-referral back into the Young Women’s Program, recognising that reconnecting with WAM through a formal mentoring relationship could provide additional support while the participant navigated the changes happening in her life. With timing and availability aligning, her former mentor was able to recommence their mentoring match. 

By this point, the mentor had also continued to grow outside of her mentoring role. She had continued her studies, gained valuable professional experience and taken on opportunities that allowed her to develop her skills and explore where she wanted to take her career. Her commitment to volunteering had also been recognised within her local community, with WAM nominating her for a local Youth Volunteer Award, which she went on to win. 

More recently, the participant began experiencing housing instability. Drawing on knowledge developed through both mentoring and her professional experience, her mentor identified a supported accommodation service in the young woman’s local area. She discussed the opportunity with me to ensure that supporting her mentee with the referral sat appropriately within the boundaries of her mentoring role. 

From there, the mentor took the initiative. She supported her mentee to navigate the referral process and advocated alongside her for the opportunity to access the program. The referral was successful, and the young woman has now been accepted into 12 months of supported accommodation. 

Importantly, this was not a decision made on the participant’s behalf. She was actively involved in deciding what she wanted, engaging with the referral and taking an active role in determining what came next. This accommodation will provide greater stability while she focuses on completing her VCE in an area where she has links to her community. Over the next 12 months, she will also have the opportunity to develop practical life and independent living skills as she prepares for what comes next. 

What makes this story particularly special is the growth that has happened on both sides of the mentoring relationship. The mentor had the confidence and judgement to recognise an opportunity that could make a meaningful difference, while also understanding the importance of checking in around the boundaries of her role. Her mentee had the confidence to identify what she needed, make decisions about her future and actively participate in achieving the outcome. 

For me, this story captures so much of what I value about mentoring. It is never simply one person teaching or shaping another. Mentors and mentees learn from each other, challenge each other and grow alongside each other, often in ways none of us could have predicted when they were first matched. 

I have learnt so much from the young women I have met through WAM - mentors and mentees alike. But receiving that phone call from a mentor I have now known for more than three years, hearing that her mentee would have safe and secure housing for the next 12 months because of their joint advocacy, was a particularly powerful reminder of why this work matters. 

The housing is an incredible outcome. But what stays with me is the journey that led to it: two young women who have grown in confidence, learned to trust their own judgement, supported each other and found their own way forward. 

At WAM, we invest in the journey as much as the outcome. Sometimes, that journey leads somewhere none of us could have predicted when a mentor and mentee first meet - and that is what makes mentoring so powerful.