Staff
The Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Georgian Triangle (BBBSGT) have launched ‘Boy’s Club’, a new weekly recreational group mentoring program, across the region.
With the help of a recent $22,000 grant from the Canada Post Community Foundation, BBBSGT are taking a “big” step in the direction of providing more regular programs, specifically for boys without 1-on-1 mentors across the Georgian Triangle.
The grant will fund the hiring of a new part-time Boy’s Group Program Leader and help facilitate weekly programs in Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Stayner/Clearview and Meaford beginning in November. The 1.5 hour/week program will mainly serve 9-12 year olds but this will vary based on demand across the region.
“Our greatest challenge is recruiting new male volunteer mentors. For various reasons we have seen a decline in the number of men looking to volunteer as Big Brother mentors for Little Brothers. At the same time we get new applications for boys looking for a Big Brother every week. When our boys waiting list continued to grow we decided we needed to adapt by creating a new program. The Boys Recreational Group Mentoring Program, or the Boy’s Club as I have taken to calling it for now, is a different way to engage the boys on our waiting list as well as boys new to BBBSGT programs that would benefit from mentoring programs. The concept is to recruit a small group of men to become mentors for this program that will lead the group as a team with the help of a staff. This volunteer opportunity where men always have the support of a couple other men is a much more accessible commitment for many men, allowing them to feel more comfortable getting involved as mentors. We will be looking to recruit new volunteers to help out every week or even just once a month. Picture a group of three to four men playing sports, games and doing creative projects with a group of 10-15 boys. It’s going to be great! We are extremely grateful to the Canada Post Community Foundation, local Rotary Clubs, the Town of Collingwood and the G&M Foundation Education Endowment fund who have all contributed to this program through recent grants.” Jarvis Strong, Executive Director
This program expansion tackles two of the greatest challenges for BBBSGT. Providing mentoring programs for boys and better serving the other communities of the Georgian Triangle region. Please check their website in the coming months for more details or call 705-445-2330.
www.bigbrothersbigsistersgeorgiantriangle.org
