When Luke signed up to a become a community mentor, he had high hopes to have a positive impact on a young person's life, but what he never expected was just how much of an impact the experience would have on him.
Luke (who did not want to provide his surname for privacy reasons) has spent the last nine months mentoring a young person living in out-of-home care, with weekly catch-ups.
"I thought I knew what to expect, how it would go, but I am absolutely blown away each week. … He has taught me quite a lot as well," Luke said.
"If you do have that relationship where you can kind of start to see things through their eyes … it really does offer you a different perspective on your life."
The mentoring program overlapped with Luke becoming a father for the first time.
"I think the timing of that, working with my mentee has offered me that compounding effect of realising how important having a positive role model in a young person's life really is," he said.
Luke was matched with Robbie (whose real name could not be used) as part of AnglicareSA's mentoring program.
Robbie has a keen interest in sport, which suited Luke's background in coaching team sports perfectly.
"We have gone out to the court and soccer pitch … we have also gone go-karting, he has a passion for food and cooking so we sourced out a local kitchen and spent some time in the kitchen working through our cooking skills," Luke said.
Over the nine months, Luke said he had noticed Robbie's confidence grow as they built trust and rapport with each other, especially from their initial sessions, where Robbie was quite reserved.
"He has since shared with me that the thought was that the mentor would come once or twice and then probably won't come back again, so from their point of view they didn't really want to display their true selves or share too much," he said.
"The sense I got was he was very much just thinking about today, or the weekend. There was no real thought process about what's in store, what my future can hold for me."
Luke said his mentee was now dreaming of a potential career as an international chef travelling the world.
"Fast-forward nine months and you just see this absolute change and development in a young person and it's absolutely amazing," he said.
"He's really confident, really intelligent, really cheeky and quick-witted, which is absolutely the opposite of the person I first got to know, right at the start."
The program involves pending three hours once-a-week with a child or young person who is currently living in out-of-home care, organising and facilitating activity sessions.
"What I have really noticed is the thing that my young mentee really resonates with the most is the fact that I rock up each week," Luke said.
The latest figures from the SA Department of Child Protection show, as of December last year, there were 4,801 in state care, compared to 3,484 in June 2017.
AnglicareSA senior manager of operations, family and youth Services Judi Kammerman said there are currently 13 mentors involved in the program, but more paid volunteers are needed to meet the increasing demand.
"More children and young people entering care means we are needing more mentors," she said.
"It's a once-a-week commitment that can change the lives of some of the state's most vulnerable children and young people by supporting them to thrive and reach their personal goals," she said.
The program is run across metropolitan Adelaide and surrounding areas, including the Barossa Valley and Victor Harbor.
