Every Friday at Squamish Elementary School there is a lucky group of students who, for one hour, get to play games and have fun with an older mentor.
Teachers and school administrators identified 17 Squamish Elementary students who can benefit from being part of the mentoring program. Those students meet every week with a student from Howe Sound Secondary School.
Over the course of the hour, program participants and volunteers play card games or board games like Battleship and Chinese Checkers. Others choose to do craft projects. Some spend their time outside.
The interactive initiative for kids from grades 1 to 7 and teens in grades 9 to 12 started in October of 2003 and proved successful enough to be implemented at Brackendale Elementary School.
Helen Brownrigg and Kristen McBride supervise the fun. Brownrigg is the mentoring program coordinator for Big Brothers and Big Sisters and McBride assists her.
"The teachers refer the children and it is for any child that would benefit from the one-on-one contact," said Brownrigg.
The program coordinator also noted that the older volunteers get a great from the program as well."It looks good on a resume," Brownrigg said.
According to Brownrigg, the teens have done a fabulous job.
"I really wanted to do it to give the teens a chance to shine," said Brownrigg, pointing out that Squamish teens don't always get a positive portrayal in the news media. "The elementary and secondary schools are located really close to each other and that helps to make it work."
Along with the school mentor program, Brownrigg coordinates an another program that links adults to kids who can benefit from time with a mentor. Like the school program, the adult volunteers commit one hour a week.
More adult male mentors are needed to match with young people waiting for new adult volunteers to come into the program.
Potential volunteers can call Brownrigg at 604-892-3125.
