About us
Women and Mentoring (WAM) offer a unique, early intervention program that supports women and non-binary people in contact with the legal system by matching them individually with a supportive mentor. The volunteer mentors are trained and resourced to provide appropriate support to the program participants, to share their skills and to contribute to the wider community.
WAM began operating in the City of Yarra (in Melbourne) working with the Neighbourhood Justice Centre in 2009, and in 2015 received funding from the Melbourne Women’s Fund to replicate the program in the Sunshine Magistrates Court precinct.
With recurrent philanthropic funding, we have been able to expand our service area to provide support to more criminalised women who experience significant challenges in their life. Since 2022, with state government funding, we can now receive referrals for women across all metropolitan Melbourne areas. In 2023 we began accepting referrals from the Ballarat area. Referrals for women outside metro Melbourne and Ballarat may also be considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on the location and mentor availability. Remote mentoring may also be offered to women in other regional locations.
Our 2021 Evaluation Report demonstrates that engagement with a mentor has made a significant positive difference to the participants’ confidence, coping mechanisms and capacity to respond to their legal matters and address the issues that underlie their offending. The vast majority of the participants have avoided a prison sentence and have not re-offended.
WAM has been fortunate to rely on strong connections and partnerships to deliver this unique and gender-responsive initiative. We welcome interest and support from the community in mentoring and skilled volunteer roles. We work collaboratively with many partners in the health justice and community services sector for referrals.
Contact Women and Mentoring
OUR BOARD
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Su Robertson
Chair
Su is a social justice legal professional and community radio broadcaster. She has previously worked as a community legal centre lawyer, university law lecturer, and undertaken post-graduate research in legal education and gender. She is currently Director Engagement and Learning at Consumer Action Law Centre. Su has researched, published and presented on a variety of issues associated with poverty law, clinical legal education, feminism and the legal system, and her work has been tabled in Parliament.
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Tracy Baylis
Director & Company Secretary
Tracy brings strong knowledge and many years of governance and strategic planning experience. A values-driven leader, Tracy is currently the Strategic Planning and Implementation Manager at the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network, an organisation aiming to increase liveability and resilience in our cities and communities and thereby improve the lives of every Australian. Tracy has supported WAM as a volunteer for several years.
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Sam Payne
Director
Sam Payne retired from a long career in Business Administration in 2005. She joined the WAM pilot program as a Volunteer Mentor in 2010, one of the first volunteers. Sam has mentored three women participants in WAM and continues as a Volunteer. She joined the WAM Board in 2014.
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Ingrid Svendsen OAM GAICD
Director
Ingrid is an international NGO co-founder and experienced non-executive director. She received a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2022 for her work with not-for-profit organisations in Australia and Timor-Leste. Ingrid brings to the board strengths in strategy, building board capacity, and communications and stakeholder engagement. In her professional life, Ingrid runs her own strategic communications consulting practice, specialising in crisis communication and issues management.
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Amanda Thornton
Director
Amanda is a non-profit sector professional with qualifications and broad expertise in philanthropy, fundraising, and organisation and program development, governance and evaluation. Her experience spans team and leadership roles across areas of need including women and families, health, homelessness, food insecurity, and visual arts. She is passionate about fairness, equality and empowerment, collaborative problem-solving, skills and knowledge-sharing, and organisational learning and improvement. Amanda joined the Board in 2019 and during 2022-23 she chaired the Fundraising & Marketing Committee.
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Tamsin Mildenhall
Director
Tamsin is an experienced criminal defence lawyer having worked in both the private and Government sectors. Currently, she is the Manager of the Summary Crime team at Victoria Legal Aid, working with sector partners to ensure the delivery of high-quality legal services as well as a fair and efficient justice system. She is a Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) Accredited Criminal Law and Children's Law Specialist and a member of the LIV Children's Law Specialisation advisory Committee.
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Trevor Irwin
Director
Trevor Irwin is an experienced accountant with a background in corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Trevor is currently Chief Financial Officer with the Australian Childhood Foundation. He is a CPA and holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) and has an MBA from RMIT University.
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Amelia Condi
Director
Amelia is an experienced leader in social policy, strategy, implementation, outcomes measurement and transformation. She has spent her career working across the ‘for purpose’ and the public sector. She is passionate about social issues and creating better opportunities for individuals and communities alike.
OUR TEAM
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Tricia Ciampa
Executive Officer
Email: tricia@womenandmentoring.org.au
Mobile: 0407 540 995 -
Kate Whiting
Finance & Operations Manager
E: kate.whiting@womenandmentoring.org.au
Mobile: 0401 776 547 -
Sarah Nyssen
Program Manager
Email: sarah@womenandmentoring.org.au
Mobile: 0402 900 560 -
Phaedra Thain
Intake Coordinator
E: phaedra@womenandmentoring.org.au
M: 0490 266 815 -
Emily Murphy
Ballarat Program Coordinator
E: emily@womenandmentoring.org.au
M: 0403 584 015 -
Cyanna McLaren
Young Women’s Program Coordinator
E: cyanna@womenandmentoring.org.au
M: 0403 581 259 -
Jaffa Hargrove
Intake Coordinator
E: jaffa.hargrove@womenandmentoring.org.au
M: 0482 171 327 -
Heather Stewart
Mentor Coordinator
E: heather@womenandmentoring.org.au
M: 0413 179 719 -
Kate Gustke
Mentor Coordinator
E: kate.gustke@womenandmentoring.org.au
M: 0403 627 876 -
Amber Schmidt
Administration Support Coordinator
E: amber@womenandmentoring.org.au
M: 0403 583 648 -
Cathy Campesato
Lived Experience Peer Group Facilitator
E: peergroup@womenandmentoring.org.au