Collingwood/ Wasaga Beach area pilot project aims to connect youth with their community

Blake Russell loves to rap and sing and wants to get into the music business.

Brandon Howden is so into snowboarding, he’s built his own terrain park in his back yard.

Their interests may be divergent, but both young men are hoping to be paired with a local mentor who can help them follow their dreams through a new pilot project from Elephant Thoughts, Big Brothers Big Sisters of The Georgian Triangle and Rotary that aims to help First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) youth in Simcoe County succeed at school and beyond.

Mentoring for Success is focused on youth age 15-17 who have natural talents waiting to be discovered or nurtured, explained program manager Christy Deere, during the group’s first official outing – a field trip to the outdoor education centre at Nordic Highlands in Duntroon this past Saturday.

“This is our first outing together as a group,” she said. “We’ll do a couple more and then they will go out on their own as we set them up with their individual mentors.”

Deere said the trip to Nordic Highlands was the perfect opportunity for the group to get out in the fresh air and connect with nature. They took part in snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and helped to harvest the first run of sap in the Highlands sugar bush.

The mentoring program aims to help students succeed by re-engaging them in their education and providing them with tutoring in areas where they need extra help.

Group activities, like the outing on Saturday, coupled with individual mentoring will help them channel their energy into constructive activities and experience increased self-confidence, trust and build good character.

“Together, we’ve created a list of interests they can choose from. They can pick one and we will try to match them with a mentor from the community,” said Deere. Activities like the outing Saturday allow them to participate in a variety of experiences to help them identify that existing or under-developed aptitude or interest – outdoor adventure, nature viewing, music, photography, traditional crafts, cooking, business, dance, creative writing, working with animals – are just a few of the areas Deere says they can pursue.

“The program is mainly directed at high school age but we have a couple of 11-year-olds taking part through Big Brother Big Sisters,” she said.

The goal, says Deere, is for the participants to develop healthy and strong relationships with knowledgeable and skillful role models and become connected to the adult members of their community while pursuing an interest or passion of their own.

“Their achievements in this newly developed interest could be transferred into further academic pursuit or other post secondary pursuits,” she said. “The program strives to set up youth with the skills and aptitudes that will allow them to pursue post secondary opportunities with confidence.”

It also identifies academic areas of concern with teachers and provides one-on-one customized tutoring to help them with their final reports and exams, ultimately helping them to graduate.

It’s a great program, according to Brandon Howden. “I love what they are doing for us. They are really helping me a lot.”

Blake Russell agrees.

“My interests are music, art, nature and wilderness survival,” he said during a break in the snowshoeing. “I am really looking forward to meeting my mentor and my tutor.”

Deere says they are still looking for volunteer mentors with backgrounds in trades, business, outdoor activities as well as people with backgrounds in native heritage and culture. “It’s not a huge commitment; it’s only an hour or two a week until the end of the school year in June.”

If you would like to help out you can contact Christy at mentoringforsuccess@elephantthoughts.com or Cathy at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Georgian Triangle, 705-445-2330.