Sustainable Development Goals
The Project
The Diocese of Gizo has requested the placement of a Counsellor/Mentor to support the youth cohort at St. Peter Urban Training College. The college serves ‘second‑chance’ students from Gizo and the surrounding small islands. As most students come from low‑income households, fees are kept deliberately low to ensure accessibility.
St. Peter Urban Training College offers courses in Carpentry, Electrical, Mechanics, and Life Skills/Hospitality. The establishment of the Counsellor/Mentor role within the school is intended to:
- Enhance the mental and physical wellbeing of youth through appropriate guidance, mentoring, and counselling.
- Equip students with coping strategies and life skills that build confidence in decision‑making, foster healthy relationships with peers and families, and support positive life choices.
- Strengthen collaboration between families, the school, and the parish to ensure young people are guided towards becoming responsible and productive members of society.
The Location
Gizo is the capital of the Western Province in Solomon Islands. With a population of 7,177 (as of 2019 It is situated on Gizo Island approximately 380 kilometres (236 miles) west-northwest of the capital, Honiara, and is just southwest of the larger island of Kolombangara.
The Challenge
About 12.7 percent of the population of Solomon Islands lives below the poverty line. Roughly 20 to 25 percent of youth in the country never attend primary school with 30 percent of those attending never completing school. Limited access to education and an adult literacy rate of less than 35 percent perpetuate the cycle of poverty from generation to generation.
Eighty-four percent of Solomon Islanders reside in rural areas and rely on subsistence farming for their livelihoods. Access to health care and other social services is very limited. Transport, electricity and telecommunications infrastructure is poor or non-existent. With the majority of youth living in remote areas with limited educational and employment prospects, overcoming poverty is a challenge.
Young people aged 17 to 25 in Gizo town—both male and female—are facing a range of socio-economic challenges, including peer pressure, the adverse effects of social media, substance abuse, and relationship difficulties. Among those enrolled in school and residing with relatives, many lack adequate psychosocial and financial support from their families, who predominantly live on surrounding islands. This absence of support contributes to increased vulnerability: these youth are more likely to succumb to peer influence, misuse social media, engage in substance abuse, and demonstrate irregular school attendance. At least 20-30% of the students do not complete their trade courses (carpentry, mechanic, electrical, life skills and hospitality).
About You
Palms participants for this placement will need to demonstrate the following qualifications, skills, and attributes:
- Qualifications or relevant experience in guidance and counselling for young people.
- Proven experience in working with and effectively communicating with youth.
- Skills in developing, implementing, and reviewing youth‑related programs.
- Experience in mentoring teachers to strengthen their professional practice.
- Training expertise across design, delivery, implementation, and assessment.
- Ability to work collaboratively within a team, both in school and community contexts.
- Adaptability and flexibility in responding to diverse challenges.
- Cultural sensitivity and openness to engaging within a different cultural context.
- Respect for Christian values, with patience and strong communication skills.
- Commitment to serve in Gizo for a minimum of 12 months, working with limited resources and facilities.
- Willingness to engage their Australian community in promoting the work of the host organisation and their role.
How You Will Help
First you must be willing to learn from the local community.
Over the first several weeks you are asked not to change anything or suggest a change to operations. During that period you will take the time to learn language and cultural mores from a local counterpart willing to mentor you. You will also start a register of the strengths of the current personnel and the assets in the community/country that might be used to achieve the goals of the assignment.
You need to commit to clarifying why things are done the way they are rather than presuming from your own cultural lens to outline what is missing. So, you need to ask questions to enable you to learn from your hosts, rather than in ignorance make suggestions about how things can improve. Palms training will prepare you for this approach.
From then onward, you will apply your expertise in the following areas:
- Developing a comprehensive guidance and counselling plan tailored to the needs of the youth cohort.
- Creating alternative activities for youth that incorporate culture, arts, music, and sports to foster holistic development.
- Conducting regular meetings and evaluations of student progress, including participation in parent meetings, one‑on‑one sessions with students, and supervision meetings with the principal.
- Designing, delivering, and assessing training programs for teaching staff to strengthen their capacity in supporting student wellbeing.
- Ensuring each mentee has a structured learning plan, applies acquired knowledge and skills, and is prepared to sustain the work beyond the placement.
- Documenting and evaluating the initiative’s progress by collecting and sharing stories of change within the school and among youth.