The Building Pathways (BP) is a transformative initiative committed to empowering individuals on a journey away from criminality. The program focuses on developing pro-social behaviours, reducing recidivism, and fostering self-efficacy and motivation through personalised coaching and mentoring, educational workshops, advocacy, and community engagement. Guided by respect, non-judgment, client-centred focus, and empowerment, BP is demonstrating significant positive impacts, as reflected in testimonials and early evaluations.
The evidence is clear. Stronger rehabilitation and reintegration programs and services are needed to address high recidivism rates and improve desistance in Australian Prisons.
Building Pathways is a small part of working to make this change, with funding from the Tasmanian Prison Service, and in partnership and with support from many other individuals and organisations.
Developing and delivering peer support in prison, and coaching and mentoring for return to community.
The program works with people involved in the criminal justice system. We aim to respectfully meet participants where they are at, with a strengths-based and positive, non-judgmental approach to support. The program will lead to the following benefits.
See the potential. Be the connection. Change a life.
Become a mentor!
Are you someone who believes a man’s past shouldn't have to dictate his entire future? Do you see the untapped potential in others and want to play a part in helping a fellow Tasmanian find his feet—not by being a "fixer," but by serving as a steady, non-judgmental presence for someone navigating the difficult transition from prison back into society?
Join and Train: Complete our Mentor Training to equip yourself with tools like active listening and motivational interviewing.
Connect and Guide: Meet with a participant for about one hour every 3–4 weeks, helping them navigate practical goals like housing or employment while fostering their communication and reaching their goals.
Reflect and Grow: Participate in regular supervision and team meetings to discuss progress and ensure your own wellbeing is supported.
By stepping in as a mentor, you’ll help a man move from struggle and risk towards his full potential. You’ll watch him find the courage to communicate respectfully and avoid t he traps of the past. As a reliable connection, you’re building a safer Tasmania where no one walks alone.
Improved outcomes for participants:
increased resilience
increased sense of self-worth
Improved communication skills
healthier peer relationships
Improved outcomes for communities:
safer communities with reduced violence
costs of crime are reduced
Improved outcomes for the justice system:
reduced recidivism leading to reduced costs
freeing up probation officer time
If you would like to refer someone or self-refer to the Building Pathways coaching and mentoring program, please use the link above.
Please note, this is currently a volunteer run program with no funded support. We’ll do our best to connect people with support, but referral to the program doesn’t guarantee support.
Coaching and mentoring
Our coaching and mentoring activities are designed to:
facilitate the exploration of personal needs, goals, motivations, skills and thinking
use questioning techniques to help participants understand their own thinking and realise their own solutions
support participants in setting their own goals and assessing their own progress
encourage action and the development of lasting personal change and growth.
By encouraging individuals to see the ‘big picture’, coaching and mentoring helps to develop the participant’s own responses and strategies to achieve better outcomes for themselves.
“Through the coaching I received, I worked out some goals, and now have a job in line with the direction I want to go. ”
Joining the program
Participants in the program may be enrolled by relevant government or community sector agencies, or they may self-refer. While there may be a direction for someone to attend the program, participants must be actively engaged in the project, with a desire to effect change in their own life.
Acceptance into the program will depend on the outcome of an initial intake meeting between the participant, coach and mentor to ensure that a strong and trusting relationship can be established.
Our coaches and mentors
Our coaches and mentors together have decades of experience in working with men in a variety of contexts. Our team has considerable experience in corporate coaching, mental health first aid training, suicide prevention training, developing and running men's events and activities, and developing and facilitating men's groups and men's group facilitator training, in Tasmania and nationally. For detailed profiles visit the program website.