Creating change
We truly appreciate that you're considering making positive change in a boy's life. Should you go ahead and apply, you'll be joining hundreds of men who were once on the brink of making the same rewarding decision. Thank you for coming this far.
Once men apply to become a mentor, they go through our carefully developed mentor screening process which determines if this is the right path for you to. This takes about 8 weeks. When you're accepted as a Big Buddy, our Coordinators will match you with a Little Buddy; this process is based on a combination of personality, knowledge, negotiation and intuition.
All going well, mentors then commit to meet with their Little Buddy on a weekly basis, for at least one year, notwithstanding a 3-month trial period that is beneficial to all concerned. During your first year as a Big Buddy you’ll get plenty of contact and support from both our Coordinators and other mentors in the program.
Are you ready to become a mentor?
Time together
Mentors and boys develop really wonderful relationships, and to help get these started, we advocate that you plan some outings with your Little Buddy. Mentors tell us they do anything from going fishing to visiting a second hand bookshop, to watching a basketball or rugby game. You'll usually pick your Little Buddy up from his home and then set out to explore the world in whatever way you like...within reason! We are also frequently told that, later on, sometimes the best thing to do is get in the car and ask your Little Buddy, “So where do you want to go?”
You are not there to entertain your Little Buddy; you’re there to share who you are, so he can learn more about who he is, and who he wants to be. These boys highly value the one-on-one time they get with you; the fact that you just turn up makes a massive difference to their lives.
For more detailed information download the below sheet, or visit our FAQs.
Take the first step towards becoming a mentor
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“Most young criminals lack a positive male role model. Boys of the 14, 15, 16 age group … they seek out male role models like heat seeking missiles. Is it going to be an antisocial peer who's committed 30 burglaries? … Is it the leader of the local gang? … So many of the young men I see in the Youth Court simply don’t have a meaningful relationship with their dad (who’s long gone if they ever knew him) or any positive male role model figure.”
- Now the Children's Commissioner, Judge Andrew Becroft was New Zealand's Principal Youth Court Judge when he gave this speech in parliament
What's the next step?
By filling out the above form you simply put forward your intention to become a mentor. We then get in touch to hear more about you and answer any questions you still have.