People interested in becoming involved in the Mentoring Program either as a mentor or mentee need to meet the eligibility criteria below.

The program is open to all eligible people, regardless of sexuality, gender, faith, nationality and ethnicity (unless the program is for a specific subset of young people).

At times, additional criteria may be needed to reflect the program’s focus and to ensure appropriate mentees and mentors are engaged.

It is important that Local Drug Action Teams ensure that the eligibility criteria reflects the objectives of their individual program.

Mentee

Recommended criteria:

• young people aged 12-17 years or 18-30 years
• lives and/or studies/works in the local community
• a commitment to the Mentoring Program and the Vision, Mission and Values Statement.

Mentor

Recommended criteria:

• over 18 years of age
• strong interpersonal and communication skills
• a commitment to the Mentoring Program and the Vision, Mission and Values Statement
• preparedness to maintain confidentiality regarding discussions with mentee.

Other criteria for consideration

Additional criteria may be required to reflect the needs or circumstances of the people your Mentoring Program is planning to work with.

Other criteria may include, for example:

• presence of known risk factor/s for alcohol and drug harm, such as social isolation, family conflict, poor performance at school, unemployment
• young people experiencing life transitions, e.g. seeking to move from school to work, exiting the justice system²⁶
• priority populations, such as: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and intersex (LGBTQI) people; and, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people.

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