Big Brothers Big Sisters North Bay of North Bay and District has launched Big Steps to Success, a mentorship program to help Indigenous children and youth above the age of seven living in government care.
The program is looking for Indigenous adults to volunteer to mentor a child, as one of the goals of the program is “to focus on Indigenous identity, celebrate Indigenous culture,” and help immerse the kids “in community activities that support Indigenous language, stories, and connection to the land,” explained Melinda Shank, the coordinator of the Big Steps program.
“We’re partnered with the Children’s Aid Society,” as well for the program, Shank said, and they refer Indigenous youth to the program. The aim is to create “long term relationships” between the youth and mentors “to help them to achieve success.”
She explained that the youth involved in the program will commit to participate for a period of three to five years, with a minimum of one year. Mentors who volunteer to help will receive training from Big Brothers Big Sisters “to support the success of the relationship before being matched” with a child.
What can a volunteer mentor expect? Mentors spend about two or three hours once a week with their Little Brother or Sister and are expected to commit for a least one year. Usually, those hours are spent in some kind of outing—casting a few lines at the lake, taking in a cultural event, or catching a game. The idea is to have some fun while providing guidance and support to a youth who could use more friends.
Volunteers who offer their time “make a monumental difference in a child’s life,” Shank emphasized, “just by being there for them,” and “many of our matched Big and Little Brothers and Sisters continue their connections for years to come.”
Shank explained that this is a district wide project, so if you are in Mattawa, or Nipissing First Nation, or other surrounding areas, you are welcome to apply to volunteer. There are kids in need of mentors throughout Nipissing, she said, and the organization will connect you with a child nearby.
“This is the first time Big Brother Big Sisters has run a program like this,” Shank said. “I don’t think there is another program like this specifically for Indigenous children in care. So, this is a big step, which is why it’s called Big Steps to Success.”
Moreover, part of the impetus for the program was “in response to Truth and Reconciliation calls to action, how historically youth have been taken from their Indigenous communities and didn’t have contact with their culture,” she said. “We don’t want that to happen anymore.”
More information on the program can be found on the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada’s website, and those interested in volunteering can visit Big Brothers Big Sisters' website, contact Melinda Shank at [email protected] or call her at 705-474-3041 ext. 5.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
