*Editor鈥檚 note: Names have been changed in the story to protect the identity of minors.
If you have an (annoying) younger or older sibling, it鈥檚 easy to take that bond for granted.
But for a number of kids in the Sea to Sky, their older mentors are Big Brothers and Big Sisters 鈥� adults who volunteer to provide mentorship and friendship to youth in need through Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Canada.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e not a disciplinarian, you鈥檙e a mentor, you鈥檙e just there to offer some support,鈥� says Paul Bride, a Big Brother volunteer in Squamish.
Bride went to school to become a counsellor and worked with street kids in Ottawa. His career went in a different direction 鈥� he鈥檚 now an international expedition photographer 鈥� but for the past seven years, he鈥檚 been hanging out and playing soccer with his Little when he鈥檚 home in Squamish.
Big Brothers Big Sisters pairs kids in communities across Canada with adults in the community to help them build their confidence and have a consistent mentor. Supportive staff at the organization help facilitate training for 鈥渂igs鈥� and match them with a 鈥渓ittle鈥� who could use their help.
For Bride, the result has been a unique friendship with his 14-year-old 鈥渓ittle brother鈥� Ethan*, and some unexpected learning opportunities.
鈥淢y wife and I don鈥檛 have kids, so it鈥檚 kind of nice to hang out, and you learn about what鈥檚 cool and what鈥檚 not,鈥� he laughs. 鈥淚t鈥檒l be things I鈥檝e never heard of before. It鈥檚 pretty funny.鈥�
鈥淵ou get to learn about yourself sometimes, and a lot of kids don鈥檛 have the same opportunities I had. It鈥檚 nice to help them out. It is a good program and it鈥檚 very simple.鈥�
Bride couldn鈥檛 recall having a real heart-to-heart with Ethan about what their friendship means, but a few years ago he got a card for Father鈥檚 Day that said 鈥淧awl, thank you for being my big brother鈥� with a drawing of the two playing soccer under a mountain.
The picture still hangs on his fridge.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just pretty cool that he thought enough to make that for me, and I think it meant a lot to him as well,鈥� said Bride. 鈥淚f he ends up a couple years down the road thinking, 鈥楾hat was a good experience, Paul was a nice guy,鈥� well, how awesome is that?鈥�
While Bride meets with Ethan once a week when he鈥檚 home on assignments,
in-school mentor Doug Hackett spends an hour each week in a Squamish elementary school meeting with a student in the program.
Or as he jokingly describes it 鈥� 鈥淚 can get an hour off work every week and I play monopoly or lego. It鈥檚 just wonderful.鈥�
Hackett has been seeing his current student for four years, and over the weeks together they鈥檝e built models, built puzzles and built a friendship.
Hackett decided to volunteer with the organization after a friend told him they had difficulty finding male volunteers in Squamish.
Across Canada, the current waitlist for Big Brothers Big Sisters is over 4,000, according to the organization.
鈥淥ne you get involved, well, it鈥檚 hard to do it for a year and then stop. Once you鈥檙e involved, you鈥檙e having a good time and seeing the two of you are kind of building a relationship together, it just carries on,鈥� said Hackett.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e not there to teach, you鈥檙e not there to be a psychologist. You鈥檙e there to be a friend,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f they want to talk, then you are an older friend who might have some experience to help them with something. If they just want to play lego, you just play lego.鈥�
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