Mayor Tara Veer presents the official proclamation of September being Big Brothers Big Sisters Month in Red Deer to Rob Lewis, Executive Director at Youth HQ on Tuesday morning. The organization operates the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in Red Deer. (rdnewsNOW / Sheldon Spackman)

By Sheldon Spackman

Mentoring Youth

September proclaimed Big Brothers Big Sisters month in Red Deer

Sep 1, 2020 | 11:19 AM

With the aim of highlighting the need for local mentors in our community, September has been proclaimed as Big Brothers Big Sisters Month in Red Deer.

The proclamation was made by Mayor Tara Veer at City Hall Park Tuesday morning with officials from Big Brothers Big Sisters, Youth HQ, and other dignitaries such as Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephan and Councilor Michael Dawe in attendance.

Rob Lewis, Executive Director at Youth HQ in Red Deer which operates the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, says it’s critical for The City to officially recognize that youth mentoring makes a big difference in the lives of our youth and the community as well.

“This proclamation really goes a long way in validating the work that we do in kind of an official perspective,” says Lewis. “I think everyone recognizes that we all have had mentors and they’ve done good things in our lives, but this brings it up a notch so to speak, and having this proclamation helps us to have some strength and momentum to go into the new school year and reopen matches and work through the COVID experience in this perspective.”

Lewis says youth mentors bring an important developmental relationship into the life of a young person which helps form a foundation on which the youth can build their life upon.

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“By building that foundation and building solidity into that foundation, the mentor is one of the contributing influences to drive that child on to whatever they’re going to become,” he explains. “Having a mentor significantly impacts your ability to thrive in life in whatever aspect you’re pursuing as an adult. Kids without mentors still do well and kids without mentors and other challenges in their lives, extraordinary challenges, don’t do as well as kids with mentors for the most part.”

Lewis notes there are roughly 75 youth in our community that are currently waiting for a mentor.

“The opportunities right now are both in-school mentoring but we’re reconfiguring how we’re delivering that because we’re unable to go into the schools at this point in time, and that’s typically about an hour a week,” adds Lewis. “We have community-based mentoring which is two to four hours a week. We’re not really hung up on the amount of time as much as we want the consistency. It’s that consistency and that commitment to that individual and being present and intentional when you’re there.”

A former mentor himself, Lewis says the experience is very rewarding.

“My heart wells with pride when I look at Donald,” says Lewis. “He had a decent home, he had some challenges developmentally and in school and he’s doing well. He’s working full time in the energy sector, and I know part of that has to do with our relationship.”

Lewis feels their relationship brought out Donald’s current zest for life.

“That love for life and that energy that you go at everything with,” he exclaims. “Definitely as a mentor, the benefit to me is just that reminder of what’s really important in life. Mentoring helps me stay rooted in that experience.”

For more information on Youth HQ, volunteering, the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and their upcoming events, visit youthhq.ca.