Lyndsey Fay Macnaught and Kathy Madell SISTER2sister Interview

Lyndsey Fay Macnaught and Kathy Madell SISTER2sister Interview

The SISTER2sister program takes in up to 50 at risk teenage girls per year per program along with their respective Big Sister mentors. Each of the girls in our program is assigned a Big Sister mentor as a positive female role model to provide support, guidance and advice, where needed, throughout the 12 month program.

The Big Sister mentors attend a comprehensive three day training course prior to being "matched" to their Little Sister. The course is designed to equip the Big Sister mentors with requisite skills and information that will ensure they can handle the various issues which may arise. The course also includes information on their legal obligations relating to their duty of care responsibilities, the health and welfare issues of the girls, and additional avenues of appropriate community support that may be necessary in certain circumstances.

The program commences with the four day Butterfly Bootcamp, where the Little Sisters meet their Big Sister mentors for the first time and together attend various team building workshops that enable them to bond and set a foundation for their mentoring relationship for the months to follow. There are seminars on risk management and independent survival skills that provide various tools and strategies for coping and working through the challenging circumstances they have encountered, may encounter during the year and for life in general. The workshops are designed to teach the girls to empower themselves, develop their self-esteem, boost their confidence and encourage them to work together towards goals. Also included are some unique "life changing experiences" all of which make the Butterfly Bootcamp a rewarding and memorable experience.

Once the Butterfly Bootcamp has concluded, the program continues with monthly outings. These outings are held for the entire group of Little Sisters and Big Sister mentors within the program, and they include an educational workshop component which deals with risk or life management issues together with a fun, motivational component which includes activities such as painting with an artist, learning to surf, trapezing or cooking classes!

Little Sisters and Big Sister mentors also have the opportunity to meet on a one on one basis should they choose to do so, in line with the Foundation's policy.

At the end of each annual SISTER2sister program, the girls have been equipped with the knowledge and skills to help them break the cycle of trauma and/or abuse. Through a comprehensive evaluation we have been able to assess that many of the girls who have gone through the mentoring program develop an increased confidence in themselves and their abilities to have greater control over their lives and futures.

Interview with Lyndsey Fay Macnaught

Question: How did you first hear about the SISTER2sister program?

Lyndsey Fay Macnaught: At the time I was seeing a school counsellor and she told me about it as she thought it would be good for me. At first I was a little apprehensive as it's hard for me to open up to people but I went to the open day with an open mind and hoped I'd be paired with a really good big sister; I went to bootcamp and got the best big sister there!


Question: What did you learn from the 12 month mentoring program?

Lyndsey Fay Macnaught: I learnt that people do care and not everyone is out to get you. I also learnt to trust in people, I still don't trust everyone but I learnt that I can put my trust in someone and that can be good for me. After being in the program and meeting Kathy my self-esteem went up and I changed a lot as a person.


Question: Would you say participating in the program change your life?

Lyndsey Fay Macnaught: Yes, definitely.


Question: How did participating in the program change your life?

Lyndsey Fay Macnaught: I changed my outlook on life. I hadn't had the worst upbringing but it hadn't been easy although I'm not one to feel sorry for myself. Before the program I was very naughty, cheeky and a prankster (laughs), it wasn't nasty humour but inappropriate at the time; and although I'm still a bit of a troll, after the program, it's no longer harming me or anyone else because I've learnt to control it. I've also learnt to love myself, for who I am and with the talents that I do acquire, I recognise that I am talented. It was a big thing to learn to believe in myself and I now know I can do really well, with my life.


Question: Can you tell us a little bit about your childhood difficulties?

Lyndsey Fay Macnaught: I don't know why I had low self-esteem, it could be attributed to the awkward teenage stage but a big contributor was that I didn't have a female role model because I lived with my father and my sister was young. My mum lived elsewhere and I still keep in contact with her now, we are really close but at the time I didn't have anyone so I suffered in silence and I think a lot of girls suffer in silence. I think the fact that I didn't have a female role model contributed to why I acted up in school and that could have been because I was trying to reach out.


Question: What types of things did you do with your Big Sister during the 12 month mentoring program?

Lyndsey Fay Macnaught: We had a four day bootcamp which gave us a chance to bond with our big sisters, meet other little sisters and so forth. Then every month we'd have one Saturday were we would go out, as a group, and participate in activities including confidence building workshops, cooking classes and learning about healthy eating, trapeze, artwork and learn about healthy body image including setting goals. We learnt about general things that I don't think are taught in school, having the program allowed me to learn about important life skills that many schools don't teach. At the end of the day it doesn't matter how smart you are because if you don't know how to deal with life and the obstacles then you can't survive; the SISTER2sister program taught me these important skills.


Question: Can you tell us about Class of?

Lyndsey Fay Macnaught: Kathy was a huge influence on me and I had potential at my previous school but I don't think that the learning environment was for me. Kathy suggested that I go to Bradfield Senior College in North Sydney and I was open minded about it. When I went to the information night I saw they had a great range of subjects which suited me and I decided to transfer, mainly because I wanted to change my grades and attitude. It just so happened that at the information night the director of the program was telling us about -Class of' which was a documentary about high school kids and I thought it sounded interesting, so I signed up. I went through a long interview process including deep questions such as -on a scale of 1-10 how good are you at this?' and they narrowed it down to 15 kids. The 15 of us were in the same English class and we were followed for nine months where they found a story within each of us.

It was broadcasted on TV.

Question: Do you still see your Big Sister?

Lyndsey Fay Macnaught: Yes, I do obviously not as regularly as when we were in the SISTER2sister program because we are older and both really busy but we still have a close bond. If I'm ever feeling down about myself or need reassurance Kathy is always there. Kathy has taught me a lot, I was very closed off to everyone and since she came into my life my relationships with people having been better including the relationship with my mum, my dad and friends. I am not as sceptical of people now and I'm more open to different types of people, I'm accepting of everyone and I know it's important to not judge people.


Question: What are you currently doing, now?

Lyndsey Fay Macnaught: I graduated High School and I'm studying Music at the moment and I am studying acting, mid-year at ACTT. I am very creative and have always wanted to do acting and Kathy was very supportive of that. I didn't have much support because acting isn't an industry that many people follow because it is difficult however any industry is difficult. I have participated in many different short films, festivals and competitions; I am building a profile for myself and networking with different people which has got me pretty far. In the next few years I will be doing a lot better.

Interview with Kathy Madell

Question: What inspired you to get involved with the SISTER2sister program?

Kathy Madell: I have always been passionate about helping children and young teens but I was inspired to get involved with this particular program after reconnecting with an ex colleague, who had been a big sister and spoke extremely highly about it.


Question: How many of the 12 month mentoring programs have you been involved in?

Kathy Madell: Just the one. Because I got very close with my little sister, I felt I would be betraying her somehow if I took on another little sister the following year.

Question: Do you still chat with Lyndsey Fay Macnaught?

Kathy Madell: Yes we still keep in regular contact, we catch up for the occasional lunch, or I might go and watch one of her performances, I attended her school graduation, we even had a Christmas lunch together with her family. I think Lyndsey and I have developed a very special relationship and not all sisters do that, but I'm very proud of my little sister and what she has achieved since we met.


Question: What did you enjoy most about participating in the SISTER2sister program?

Kathy Madell: Seeing the transformations of the girls. It is such a rewarding experience. Each month when you get together for the day's activities, you watch the girl's blossom, sometimes it will be very subtle differences, other times it will be massive shifts in behaviour or even appearance.


Question: How did participating in the program impact your life?

Kathy Madell: It keeps me grounded and keeps things in perspective. When you hear some of the stories and challenges these young girls have to face, every day, you realise that a lot of the things we get worked up about, are not really important at all. Life really is about the people in our lives and the quality of our relationships. When you see how much of that is missing in these girls lives, it just reconfirms the importance of it.


Question: What types of activities did you do with Lyndsey Fay Macnaught during the 12 month mentoring program?

Kathy Madell: Oh we did all sorts of fun stuff. Dancing, cooking, art, kayaking, trapezing... plus practical workshops like budgeting, dealing with grief, beauty tips etc. Really good facilitators too.


Question: How do you see the little sisters change, for the better, throughout the program?

Kathy Madell: You could see their confidence building as they tried things they had never done before. As they started to trust their big sisters they would participate more in activities, and the more they did, the more confident they became. Their graduation speeches are phenomenal and incredibly inspirational to listen to.


Question: Prior to the program beginning did you have any training or did your own life challenges and lessons aid in preparing the little sisters for their lives?

Kathy Madell: The program does provide a lot of support for the big sisters, both at the start and during the whole program. We have access to team leaders who are trained and experienced at dealing with issues, and they are available all the time to bounce ideas off and seek advice from. For me, I did draw on a lot of my own life experiences too and having raised two of my own children (now young adults) also provided me with a fairly deep understanding of the girl's needs.


Question: What advice would you have for others wanting to be involved with the SISTER2sister program?

Kathy Madell: I absolutely recommend it, without hesitation. Don't be afraid that you won't be able to handle it. There will undoubtedly be extremely difficult conversations and very sensitive subjects to tackle but this all helps you grow as a person and increases your understanding of human beings and their capabilities. It helps develop skills for all parts of your life, including professional. You get a lot of support from the team and these girls really just need someone to listen to them, without judging. And you have a lot of fun in the process. It is one of the most rewarding things I've done in a long time.


Interview by Brooke Hunter