CC-A is a powerful, multi-level, therapeutic youth mentoring programme that combines mentoring, prosocial activities and counselling support for young people who have been excluded from mainstream school.  Student mentors and youth mentees are grouped into mentor whānau, so that youth can benefit from multiple mentor influences and students can learn from and support each other’s practice. CC-A’s innovative structure and setting helps to counter recognised risks (such as relationship abandonment, negative role-modelling, and peer contagion effects) associated with community-based mentoring among vulnerable youth. The availability of youth-friendly counsellors overcomes barriers youth often face in accessing therapeutic support. The fully supervised, structured nature of CC-A offers students the opportunity to engage in meaningful community service while honing their practice skills within a multidisciplinary team and a community of peers. The relationships formed between students and young people provide positive developmental opportunities to support the well being of under-served youth and help shape the next generation of youth practitioners.

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