Panyappi Indigenous Youth Mentoring Program Evaluation

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Panyappi Indigenous Youth Mentoring Program Evaluation
Families dealing with multiple problems (including several of the above), where family
breakdown is common and young people’s relationships with significant others is
often disrupted and inconsistent
They are unlikely to engage with mainstream youth mentoring programs, particularly on a
voluntary basis, or with other youth groups or youth support services. They require
longer-term, consistent, regular and more intense support in order to build trust, foster
their personal resilience and successfully meet the desired aims of the Panyappi
program.
How Panyappi works
Through the evaluation work it became apparent that Panyappi has developed a number
of key features in its practice that cover:
the mentoring process
the mentoring role
level of intervention
relationships with families
interagency work
It is useful to outline these features at this point in the report as they provide a
context for what participants in the evaluation say about their experience of Panyappi.
In the stories and opinions shared in the evaluation, evaluation participants provided
evidence to support this description of how Panyappi works.
Some of these features align with recommended strategies for good practice in
mainstream mentoring programs, while others are more unique to Panyappi as an
Indigenous youth mentoring program (please also see “A brief overview of mentoring”
below).
The mentoring process
Panyappi is a formal rather than naturalistic mentoring process based on a case
management approach, where young people participate voluntarily in the program. The
voluntary aspect is considered important, as the young people referred to Panyappi are
often involved in court or educational processes where they are expected or required to
participate. They do not always respond well to mandated requirements to attend human
service programs.
Making Panyappi voluntary assists in engaging the young person, as they see the Panyappi
mentor as being more on their side. Mentors build on this start by developing a positive,
caring and non-judgemental relationship with young people. Panyappi staff believe that
ensuring the program is voluntary creates some leverage for them to build a better
relationship and then encourage young people to participate more effectively with court
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