Bel Lyons saw the mental health struggles her adult children have had, and wanted to give back to students by lending a sympathetic ear.
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She is one of 12 mentors who have been paired up with students at Moss Vale High School as part of the Raise program.
The not-for-profit youth mentoring organisation is dedicated to supporting the mental health, and social and emotional wellbeing of teenage high school students nationwide.
![Moss Vale High School staff, and Raise mentors and counsellors and supporters celebrated the graduation of students and their mentors from the youth-focused program. Picture by Briannah Devlin Moss Vale High School staff, and Raise mentors and counsellors and supporters celebrated the graduation of students and their mentors from the youth-focused program. Picture by Briannah Devlin](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/123048163/b221d9cc-a3b2-4482-b17c-ffa757794a7d.JPG/r0_376_4032_3028_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Mentors meet weekly with their mentees in school and discuss their strengths, help them achieve goals, ways to approach scenarios and manage challenges.
"At Raise, we believe it takes a village to raise a child," said Raise counsellor Brooke McGee, who was previously a mentor.
"It is a true privilege to observe the difference a mentor can make in your life."
The aims are for them to have a trusting person to go to and learn lifelong skills that can be applied to any situation.
"I felt able to offer an ear to a mentee to listen without judgement and with openness and see where they want to go each week," Ms Lyons said.
Students and mentors graduated at the school on November 3 with an award ceremony and morning tea.
As participants accepted their certificates, both the students and adults spoke about how they benefited from the program, the changes they have seen the positive impacts they have had on one another.
"I walked in every Friday with joy," she said.
"I felt happy to be a part of a mentee's journey."
Jase Gregory, who said he has gone through hardships, saw the program as a chance to connect with students and help them through hard moments.
He wanted to show his mentee that nobody was perfect and that was okay.
"My mentee's goal was to be happy to see them achieve and verbalise that, I'll take that any day," he said.
The goal was to get more adults to volunteer as mentors that way more children could be supported, the program counsellor said.
Raise also runs at Bowral High School.
To learn more about the program and apply to be a volunteer mentor, head to raise.org.au/.
The Raise programs in the region are supported by the Southern Highlands Foundation, Bowral District Children's Foundation and The 4K Foundation.
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