S.L.A.M.
S.L.A.M. is a Student Leadership And Mentoring programme which is a joint project between Douglas Park School and Wairarapa College.
The S.L.A.M. programme at Wairarapa College trains Year 10 mentors who develop a professional relationship with a protégé from Douglas Park School, Year 12 students who mentor Year 9 students and Teachers who mentor individual Prefects. Mentors help protégés set realistic and measurable academic, cultural or sporting goals and assist them to monitor and evaluate their progress. As a consequence of this process it is intended that student mentors will learn and practice leadership skills, whilst also developing their own life skills. Both schools participating in this project are enthusiastic about this programme which they see as having direct benefits for each community.
S.L.A.M. aims to benefit all students in the following way
- A raised perception of value in both school and Public recognition
- Feelings of accomplishment
- The creation of networks of volunteers and leaders
- Friendship and fun
- A feeling of effectiveness
- A chance to acquire life skills
Benefits for protégés include an increased awareness of the need to discover opportunities and realise potential and abilities. The mentoring programme adds a sense of excitement, enthusiasm, self confidence and self motivation. It helps students to see that they can make things happen so that they can become more positive and effective members of our community.
The process of compiling steps to achieve a goal helps both protégés and mentors to:
- Gain a specific, clear understanding of what they need to do to achieve their goal.
- reflect and evaluate their progress on their way to achieving their goal
- break down the goal into small chunks, making it achievable and easily measurable
- achieve realistic goals and consequently increase their self-image.