Youth Mentor

• Casual

ABOUT YOUR ORGANISATION

OnTrak Youth Mentoring provides consistent, relationship-based mentoring for young people with diverse needs across Melbourne and surrounding areas.

We are a registered NDIS provider supporting NDIS participants, as well as young people accessing support through DFFH and private funding arrangements.

Our approach is strengths-based, trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming. We recognise that every young person experiences the world differently, so our supports are shaped around the individual rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.

We focus on building confidence, capacity, life skills and positive engagement through genuine connection, routine and meaningful experiences.

Activities are an important part of how we build those relationships. Depending on the young person, mentoring might involve sport and fitness, outdoor adventures, community outings, cooking and practical life skills, education or employment goals, or simply spending time together and having a chat.

At the centre of OnTrak is a simple idea: consistent relationships and the right support can help young people build confidence, independence and connection while working towards goals that matter to them.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We're looking for experienced, reliable and engaging Youth Mentors to join the OnTrak team for current and upcoming casual opportunities.

The role exists to provide young people with a consistent mentor who can build trust, understand their individual strengths and needs, and support them to engage with their community and work towards their goals.

Most supports are one-to-one in the community, with some small-group mentoring. No two young people are the same, so no two shifts necessarily look the same either.

You might spend a shift heading to the gym, playing sport, cooking, bike riding, exploring somewhere new, working on life skills, supporting a young person with a personal goal, or simply creating space for a conversation.

Activities and experiences are used as a tool for connection, confidence and skill development. Mentors need to be comfortable adapting plans around a young person's interests, sensory needs, energy levels and capacity on the day.

Consistency is a big part of how we work. We're not looking for people to simply pick up random shifts. We want mentors who can commit to the young people they're matched with and build meaningful relationships over time.

Our young people are located across Melbourne and surrounding areas, so you'll need to be comfortable travelling for community-based supports. We consider your location, availability, interests and experience when making matches and aim to keep them practical wherever possible.

We're particularly interested in mentors with flexible availability, including afternoons, evenings and weekends.

ABOUT YOU

You genuinely enjoy working alongside young people and understand that building trust often takes time, consistency and patience.

You'll have previous experience working with young people through areas such as youth work, disability support, residential care, community services, education, mental health or similar settings.

We're looking for people who already have a strong understanding of trauma-informed, strengths-based and neurodiversity-affirming practice, and experience applying these approaches when supporting young people.

We'd particularly like to hear from people who:

• Can build genuine, age-appropriate rapport with young people
• Have relevant experience supporting young people with diverse and/or complex needs
• Can provide reliable and consistent ongoing availability
• Have flexibility across afternoons, evenings and/or weekends
• Are comfortable travelling across Melbourne for supports
• Can adapt their approach to different personalities, strengths and support needs
• Communicate effectively with young people, families and colleagues
• Can balance having fun and being engaging with appropriate professional boundaries
• Have interests, hobbies or skills they can bring into mentoring

Relevant qualifications in Youth Work, Community Services, Social Work, Psychology, Education, Disability or related fields are highly regarded.

You'll also need to hold, or be willing to obtain where appropriate:

• NDIS Worker Screening Clearance
• Working with Children Check
• Current First Aid/CPR certification
• Current Australian driver's licence
• Access to a reliable and appropriately insured vehicle
• Appropriate working rights in Australia

We're interested in experienced people who can bring consistency, good judgement, adaptability and genuine engagement with young people to the role.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

OnTrak offers a flexible and varied alternative to traditional support work, with an emphasis on meaningful relationships rather than simply filling shifts.

Benefits of working with OnTrak include:

• Flexible casual hours that can work around other employment, study or commitments
• Opportunities across weekdays, afternoons, evenings and weekends
• Young people matched with consideration of your location, availability, experience, strengths and interests
• Primarily one-to-one community-based mentoring
• Variety in your work, activities and environments
• Opportunities to incorporate your own appropriate interests and skills into mentoring
• A trauma-informed, strengths-based and neurodiversity-affirming approach
• Support from the wider OnTrak team
• Opportunities to take on additional young people as OnTrak continues to grow

Because this is an Expression of Interest, there may not be an immediate match for every successful applicant. We take matching seriously and would rather find the right fit between a mentor and young person than place someone into a support simply to fill a shift.