Volunteer Mentor Program Gets Financial Boost
2 February 2010 at 11:47 am
A national volunteer mentoring program called the Golden Gurus is set for a $500,000 funding boost to kickstart its work connecting mature aged volunteers with mentoring opportunities around Australia as part of the Rudd Government’s Productive Ageing Package.
Organisations that deliver the program will be able to apply for grants of up to $10,000 to help them prepare mature age mentors for their voluntary mentoring roles.
The program was an initiative of the 2020 Summit and was officially launched by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Voluntary Sector, Senator Stephens, in December last year and commenced on January 1 this year.
Senator Stephens says Golden Gurus is a fantastic program that brings together a diverse range of quality organisations which link the experience and expertise of mature age mentors with start-up businesses and community organisations.
She says the funding will enable these organisations to extend their reach and ensure mentors have the support they need to focus their full attention on sharing their wisdom and knowledge.
Prospective mentors can register their interest at the Golden Gurus website www.deewr.gov.au/goldengurus and, once approved, will be able to participate in an online forum to meet with other mentors and discuss the program.
Senator Stephen’s office says the department has been busy signing up organisations however there is no accurate figure as yet as to how many volunteer mentors there are around the country.
Information on how organisations can apply for the Golden Gurus funding grants will be available soon from the Golden Gurus website. A spokesperson says each organisation must meet certain quality criteria so that volunteers looking for a mentoring position can be assured they are connecting with an effective and efficient organisation.
