MATES™
MATES™ – Mentoring and Tutoring Education Scheme
MATES (Mentoring and Tutoring Education Scheme) provides selected school students who have the potential to achieve, but are at risk of underachievement, with a friendly university mentor/tutor. Run in partnership with the University of Auckland, the programme has achieved extraordinary results.
MATES, which was piloted in 2002 and is now active in 12 Auckland secondary schools and one intermediate school. The programme has proven that a carefully structured and closely supervised combination of mentoring and tutoring increases academic achievement, raises aspirations, and enhances self-confidence.
Based on the tremendous success of the MATES Senior programme, which enables students from low-decile schools to succeed in examinations and enter demanding University degree courses, Great Potentials is currently piloting MATES Junior to benefit students in the critically important transition from primary or intermediate to secondary school. Research indicates that well-targeted support at this stage is vital.
Whilst there are many mentoring programmes that provide support to young people, what differentiates MATES is the inclusion of tutoring. For at-risk students, the need goes beyond the modeling, encouragement, and personal involvement mentors can offer – they actually need tuition in the skill areas where deficits can bar their progress to higher achievement.
MATES is unique to New Zealand due to the combination of the following factors:
- Being adapted from the successful Perach programme
- The combination of and frequency of both mentoring and tutoring components
- The use of young people as Mentors and role models
- The payment of these Mentors to help with their tertiary costs
- The Coordinators themselves being university students
- The integral involvement of the school and the Mentees’ families
- The level of support and supervision given to Mentors
- The rigorous evaluation of outcomes
MATES News
Getting a Little Help From Their Mates
Manukau Courier, Thursday April 6, 2006, By Qiane Corfield
Students are getting a little help from their Mates in their final year of high school.
A growing number of Counties Manukau schools are benefiting from the Mentoring and Tutoring Education Scheme (MATES) run by Auckland University and the Pacific Foundation.
MATES Schools 2009
Mates Senior
Aorere College
Auckland Girls’ Grammar School
De La Salle College
Kelston Boys’ High School
Massey High School
Onehunga High School
One Tree Hill College
Otahuhu College
Southern Cross Senior Campus
Te Kura Maori o Nga Tapuwae
Mates Junior
Greenmeadows Intermediate School
Alfriston College
James Cook High School