Peer-to-peer mentoring program shortlisted for prestigious award

Peer-to-peer mentoring program shortlisted for prestigious award

For Valerie Li Yuen Fong, the Student Learning Adviser Mentors (SLAMs) program is like a second family.

Image of Valerie Li Yuen Fong

She’s gone from a mentee, to a mentor to working full-time as one of the six SLAMs co-ordinators.

A friend suggested SLAMs to Li Yuen Fong in her first semester at RMIT in 2014. She went along seeking help in a subject and became a mentor the following semester.

The 24-year-old, who grew up in Mauritius, is in her second year working as a SLAMs co-ordinator and studies part-time.  She’s set to graduate from a Bachelor of Marketing and Information Systems in December.

“SLAMs was the place where I was able to study while making friends,” Li Yuen Fong said.

“I was here every day when I was a mentee and there’d always be someone I knew.

“We got so close we’d come to the city on the weekend, do movie nights and study together.”

What started as a College of Business initiative in 2005 has gone on to become a University-wide program offered locally and overseas.

SLAMs has 2,000 high-achieving mentors and 6,000 mentees, many of who are from indigenous, international and low socio-economic backgrounds.

It’s also seen the creation of SLAMs Connect, a call centre staffed by experienced mentors to proactively contact students who are struggling academically, and SLAMs online, a virtual mentoring program. 

For Li Yuen Fong, a typical day could include anything from building a new timetabling function for the website and administration to planning and hosting events.

“I’ve seen every aspect of the program,” she said.

“I think that’s why I enjoy working as a co-ordinator so much. I understand the point of view of a mentee but also of a mentor.

“Everyone in the room wants to achieve more.”

SLAMs has been shortlisted in the Learning Experience Award category at the upcoming Australian Financial Review Higher Education Awards.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Melbourne on 28 August.

Image of SLAMs co-ordinator Valerie Li Yuen Fong and Associate Director Student Success Lila Kemlo. SLAMs co-ordinator Valerie Li Yuen Fong and Associate Director Student Success Lila Kemlo. SLAMs has been shortlisted in the Learning Experience Award category at the upcoming Australian Financial Review Higher Education Awards to be announced on 28 August.

Associate Director Student Success Lila Kemlo said mentors committed to a minimum of two hours a week but many went above and beyond.

“We have mentors that come back for three, four, five, six, seven semesters,” Kemlo said.

“When we ask them why they come back they give a variety of reasons, from making friends, consolidating their knowledge, supporting other students, giving back to RMIT, building organisational skills to communicating in a multicultural context.

“Many of the soft skills mentors gain through SLAMs are attributes employers often seek in graduates.”

Kemlo said the success of SLAMs was down to the students involved.

“We provide the infrastructure, but it’s actually the mentors and the mentees who make it happen,” she said.

“We are engaging with the brightest students at RMIT, our highest achievers, and when you put smart brains together with very kind hearts, because they’re volunteering a minimum of 16 hours of time a semester to support other students, you create the magic that is SLAMs.”

Story: Amelia Harris  

20 August 2018

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20 August 2018

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