THE Plan-It Youth Program is a highly valued career mentoring program at Irrawang High for Year 10 students.

The community mentors led by volunteer, Mrs Libby Dingle, meet their students weekly for ten weeks to help them explore potential future careers and how they can achieve them.

The graduation ceremony for these students was held this week for the mentors, families and senior staff involved with the program.

School representative, Luella Fagan, told News Of The Area, “I’d like to congratulate the students on their well-prepared speeches about the program and what they have achieved.”

“A big thankyou also to Mrs Dingle and her happy team of mentors for their continued support of our students and to Mrs deWit for her organisation.”

“This truly is an invaluable program for students,” she said.

Some of the activities that the students and mentors participated in during the program included: getting to know you activities, goal setting, career planning, interview techniques and an excursion to Hamilton TAFE.

During the speeches at their celebration, one of the graduating students from this term’s program told the attendees,

“When I first started the program I wasn’t completely sure of what I wanted to do when I leave high school.”

“As the program went along I started to realise what I wanted to be.”

“By being a part of the Plan-It Youth program I have become more confident with people and my education,” they said.

The number of students who can participate in the program is only limited by the number of trained mentors as students receive one-on-one mentoring.

If anyone is interested in becoming a mentor, training is provided free of charge.

Please contact Libby Dingle on 0407 283 748 or Mrs de Wit at Irrawang High on 4987 4687.

The Plan-It Youth volunteers from Irrawang High School also run the same program at Hunter River High.

 

By Rachael VAUGHAN