Organisation : Women and Mentoring
Location : Melbourne (Melbourne)
Work type : Part-time, Contract/Temporary
Sector : Community Support Services, Law, Justice & Human Rights, Women
Salary type : Volunteer
Application closing date : 2 Sep, 2024
About the organisation
Women and Mentoring (WAM) offers a unique early intervention program that aims to reduce incarceration and reoffending, whilst building individual capacity to improve life outcomes.
Through a formal mentoring relationship with a trained volunteer, WAM supports vulnerable women and non-binary people who are in conflict with the criminal legal system to develop productive life skills, feel empowered to make positive choices, and build a life away from the justice system.
WAM started as a small pilot project in 2009 working with the Neighbourhood Justice Centre in Collingwood based on research that identified if vulnerable women were provided support in the early stages of contact with the justice system, they would have better outcomes, they could avoid a custodial sentence, it would reduce the burden on the criminal justice system.
An independent evaluation from 2021 found that the program has successfully engaged vulnerable women in mentoring relationships and had contributed to the evidence base of understanding gendered pathways to the justice system. Significantly, the majority (87%) of women engaged with a mentor did not re-offend and instead worked towards building her life away from the justice system.
We are at an exciting stage of our development, having secured Victorian Government funding and philanthropic support to continue to expand into new programs and regions.
About the role
WAM Board of Directors – Seeking new Board members as part of our ongoing Board renewal
We are seeking to recruit one or two directors to our skills-based board. This is due to the retirement of a board elder stateswoman and the need to strengthen the mix of skills on our board to ensure we can continue to successfully implement our strategic plan.
We are seeking individuals with a strong governance mindset who can use their expertise, lived experience and networks to support the continued sustainable growth of our organisation.
Our ideal candidate will have skills and experience in some or all of the following areas:
- Strategy
- Risk
- Finance
- Organisational growth
- Fundraising
- Marketing.
They will be willing and able to apply those skills in the boardroom to oversee WAM’s continued growth.
This is a voluntary position, and it requires a time commitment of 3-4 days per month. Board Meetings are held every six weeks, on Wednesday evenings for 2 hours. There is also a strategic planning day once a year.
Board members are also asked to join one or two of the Board’s Committees:
- Finance, Audit & Risk
- Governance
- Nominations
- Fundraising & Marketing
The Committees meet 4-5 times per year for 1-1.5 hours at a time. There is also some contact between meetings when Board members are asked to assist the team in various ways, for instance attending fundraising events, government meetings, providing training to mentors or review of documents.
As we continue to develop a board and organisation that better reflects the communities we serve, we are actively seeking skills-based candidates who come from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or multicultural background.
We would particularly be interested to hear from skills-based applicants who have lived experience with the justice system, or an understanding of the challenges/social issues experienced by women in contact with the criminal legal system (poverty/disadvantage/substance misuse/mental health disorders).
We look favourably on formal governance training and previous board experience. However, we are also prepared to support a candidate who has the life and professional experience we need and is beginning their board journey.
How to apply
Applications not allowed for this job listing.
Please quote in application: Non-Executive Director / Board Member (voluntary role) via Pro Bono Australia.
Sector: #Community_Support_Services, #Law_Justice_and_Human_Rights, #Women
