Volunteering Qld

VISTAA

The VISTAA (Volunteers Involved, Sisters Together, Achievement thru Action) Mentoring Project aims to enhance women’s employment pathways and independence through mentoring, development, volunteer placement and networking.

This project is designed for women who are keen to enter (or re-enter) the workforce and seeking assistance to develop a pathway towards economic security. It involves matching participants with a local mentor who will provide one-on-one support and guidance on opportunities, resources and contacts to assist their development. By connecting women together in a relationship that can build skills, knowledge, support and perspective, the mentoring relationship can benefit both the mentor’s and mentee’s future career paths. 

This project is unique. It seeks to help women move towards their work ambitions through local support coupled with participation in their local community and knowledge of the larger support system.

It utilises volunteering both as a skills pathway and form of participation in the community, and as a means of empowering women. This participation ensures women will build support networks that will extend well beyond the end of the program. 

VISTAA is a joint initiative of the Queensland Government and Volunteering Qld.

Mentors

Your role as a mentor might involve:

• Talking with each woman to explore her personal interests and work ambitions
• Working together to explore pathways to achieving personal work goals for her
• Developing strategies to further develop each woman’s knowledge in her nominated interest area or industry
• Linking your colleague with education and training options to boost her competitiveness
• Sharing knowledge, insight, perspective, or wisdom
• Identifying obstacles to the mentee’s participation (e.g. life circumstances or caring responsibilities) and developing strategies to overcome these (e.g. links to child care, supports and resources, transport, education or training)
• Locating opportunities to provide her with experience in her nominated interest area (e.g. volunteer placements, site visits, work experience)

Participants

The mentoring relationship might involve:

• The mentor and mentee talking with one another to explore personal interests and work ambitions
• Working together to explore pathways to achieving personal work goals
• Developing strategies to further develop the participant’s knowledge in nominated interest area or industry
• Linking the participant with education and training options to boost their competitiveness
• Sharing knowledge, insight, perspective, or wisdom
• Identifying obstacles to the participant’s involvement (e.g. life circumstances or caring responsibilities) and developing strategies to overcome these (e.g. links to child care, supports and resources, transport, education or training)
• Locating opportunities to provide the participant with experience in their nominated interest area (e.g. volunteer placements, site visits, work experience)

If you want to participate in VISTAA email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.