NORTH WELLINGTON – “Any child that needs a mentor should have a mentor.”
That’s the driving force behind Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Wellington (BBBS NW), executive director Marianne Christie told the Advertiser.
Children/youths aged six to 18, known as “little siblings” can connect with adult mentors, or “big siblings,” through BBBS agencies across Canada.
“It’s such a simple concept,” Christie said. “They get together, they have fun, and it just makes an amazing difference to the child” by building their confidence and allowing them to have new experiences.
“And there are ripple effects to the parents and family,” she added, who “feel like they are getting some support, and see their child achieve and do so well. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
In North Wellington, there’s a big need for volunteers – 20 kids and youth here are matched with mentors, but another 15 are on a waiting list, hoping new “big siblings” will sign up soon.
Christie said schools often reach out to the organization asking for support for students, but BBBS NW does not have enough volunteers to help.
To sign up to volunteer with any BBBW NW programs, visit northwellington.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/volunteer.
The organization will send an application package that Christie said “involves a thorough screening,” including references, a vulnerable sector check, a child registry check and an interview.
Christie said no experience is necessary, and BBBS NW will provide training to ensure mentors are ready before matching them with a child.
This training will help mentors understand their role and responsibilities, ideas for activities to do with their sibling, and how to ensure safety.
“After the training we would match them with a child or youth that is suitable for them,” Christie said, considering both people’s interests and personalities, as well as how much time the mentor is planning to spend with their sibling.
Making a match is a “combined effort between the caseworker and the volunteer,” Christie said, as this “makes for a more successful match.”
Volunteers are asked to commit to a minimum of one year, and to spend a couple hours with their sibling every week or two.
“At the end of every year we ask them – the big and the little – ‘do you want your match to continue?’” Christie said.
“There’s a lot of them that do continue for years.”
“The activities that they do together are really up to them,” she added, and take place in the community or in the mentor’s home.
Examples include going for walks, cooking, doing arts and crafts, completing a project together such as building a birdhouse, or contributing to the community through an initiative such as picking up garbage or volunteering at the Norgan Theatre in Palmerston.
“The whole idea of this is spending quality time together,” Christie said, “which would include chatting and getting to know each other better, sharing experiences and also listening to challenges that kids and youth are faced with today.”
She said the relationships formed between siblings are very rewarding for both mentors and children.
It’s an opportunity for mentors to give back to the community and to be part of a young person’s life as they grow up.
“They never take the place of a parent – that is absolutely not what we do,” Christie said. “They’re a friend, mentor, coach – someone to cheer them on.”
Mentors can be adults of any age, she noted, including 19-year-olds through to seniors, and the organization encourages people of “any identity” to apply.
“We’re very inclusive and very diverse,” Christie said.
Sometimes couples volunteer together, she noted, with two people working together to mentor one child. “Big brothers are harder to [find], but if they volunteer with their partner its fun for all of them,” she said.
Christie has volunteered as a mentor herself, and described the privilege of watching her “little sister” grow from an 8-year-old child into a successful adult.
They still get together, Christie said, but now it’s for dinner and a glass of wine, and Christie gets to hear about her “little sister’s” career as an operating nurse.
“I admire her so much and am honoured to be part of her life,” Christie said. “What makes it such a rewarding experience is that both the child and the [mentor] wants it, so they really develop a strong friendship.”
Christie said all children and youth involved with BBBS are part of the program because they want to be, so they’re excited to submit their applications and grateful when they get paired with a mentor.
“They appreciate the time that they get to spend together and the new activities and the new skills that they learn through their mentor,” she said.
In addition to the one-to-one community match mentorship, there are two other programs at BBBS NW in need of new volunteers.
One is in-school mentoring, where BBBS NW partners with schools and matches mentors with students. Mentors will meet with the student once a week during school hours.
“They do the same – any kind of activities that interest them, inside and outside the school,” Christie said, but always on school property.
The volunteer timeframe for this program is just for the school year (September through June), Christie said.
There’s also a group program for kids aged nine to 12, with weekly 90-minute meetings for seven weeks.
The group for girls is called “Go Girls” and the one for boys is called “Game On.”
Volunteer leaders work with BBBS to run the groups, which usually take place in a school gym during the evening.
The groups focus on physical activities and building self esteem, and follow a curriculum developed by BBBS Canada.
Christie described it as a “wonderful program” where the kids really get to know each other and become close friends, as well as forming connections with the leader.
“This is something we are definitely looking for new mentors to join us,” she said.
Volunteer screening and training is the same for each of the programs, Christie noted. And in each case, the matches are monitored by BBBS, with the agency in regular contact with mentors, youth and parents.
For children and youth waiting to be matched with a mentor, Christie said BBBS NW organizes group activities, including bowling, swim parties, barbecues and Christmas parties.
“We always welcome any donations or any third-party events if anyone wants to put on an activity for us, or a craft night – we are always open for that.”
BBBS programs are based on the theory of change, Christie said, which means that adversities in children’s lives can be balanced out by positive relationships such as having a mentor.
“If they don’t receive that in their life, this is where they can have more challenges,” she said.
“I’ve been with the organization for a very, very long time and I’ve seen kids do the full circle and become mentors themselves, become very educated and have excellent careers.
“Maybe, if they didn’t have this opportunity, it would have been more difficult or more challenging for them,” she said.
“It takes a village to raise a child,” she added, and mentors with BBBS NW are volunteering to be part of that village.
“There will always be kids that will be in need,” Christie said.
