A Million Dollar Mentoring Challenge
24 September 2013 at 11:06 am
Australians are being encouraged to "unmask their hero" in a new campaign to raise $100,000 towards Australian Youth Mentoring Network's Million Dollar Challenge.
The UnmaskYourHero website asks visitors to acknowledge the people who inspired them to become who they are today and make a donation in their name.
"Mentoring is critical for young people, to develop their wellbeing and help them build personal and career skills. Young people are the future of Australia, and we want all Australians to grow up with the goals and skills to succeed," AYMN CEO Brad Grieve said.
“Australian Youth Mentoring Network helped 10,829 young people in 2011, through 270 mentoring programs Australia-wide. A combined total of 1,032,988 hours of mentoring was provided to young people, equating to $16,021,643.97 worth of mentoring services.
"With government funding being cut, there is a desperate need for fundraising. We need help to ensure that we can build on our success and continue to support young people all over Australia."
The Million Dollar Challenge asks companies and organisations to take $1,500 seed funding provided by the Australian Youth Mentoring Network and turn it into a profit of at least $5,000.
The Unmask Your Hero team, from currency specialists OzForex, has set its sights even higher, with a $100,000 target. Jim Vrondas from OzForex says mentorship is critical for all Australians.
"None of us got to where we were today without the support of other people at some point in our lives, whether they were parents, teachers, community and business leaders or simply friends. Unfortunately the role of a mentor is severely underrated with many of us taking for granted those that helped us along the way," Vrondas said.
“One of the main aims is to increase awareness of the vital role mentors play in shaping the future of this country. The team at Unmask Your Hero also hope to encourage others to get involved and help the next generation of young Australians.”
The Australian Youth Mentoring Network is Australia's peak mentoring body, is a national hub for youth mentoring research, tools and resources.
