keeping Connected

Felt by many, the implications of Covid-19 included a sense of feeling cut off from others and like there was nothing new to look forward to. The stark change of going from a packed schedule of idea sharing with coworkers, gym sessions, spontaneous trips out of town, and spending evenings with friends to working from home and staying within my very small designated bubble immediately took a toll on me. Sure, connecting through text, Facetime, or chatting on the phone is great, but I was missing the sense of newness and spontaneity that I was used to. I needed to meet new people and have new experiences, but how exactly when confined to 4 walls?

I knew that a number of my usual volunteering opportunities were put on hold for the time being, but I still wanted to be able to make a difference, while also fulfilling my own needs. Becoming a Big Sister was always something that interested me, but I could never give it the proper commitment. One upside of being home without any social plans – you have a lot of free time. I saw that there was an opportunity to volunteer in a virtual program and decided to take the leap. I am so glad I did.

I researched Big Brothers Big Sisters and spoke with a mentoring coordinator. I heard about the power of mentoring and the impacts it can have on a child, but relationships are two sided. Immediately, during the first session I began hearing funny summer vacation stories, we all took turns running around our respective houses to show off our pets to each other, and the 1.5 hours rushed by. Signing off from Zoom, with a big smile on my face, I couldn’t help but text my mentoring coordinator to tell her about how well the session went and look forward to next week.

Week after week, I found that same feeling of joy. Being able to jump from conversation to conversation, to dive into our favourite Harry Potter characters, and discuss colour theory in relation to which lego blocks are used to build a lego plane. It was no pressure, just connection. Just spending some time with some super cool kids. I am so thankful for the conversations and child-like fun. It was an opportunity for connection, when I really needed it.

Written by a BigsNBC Virtual Connect Volunteer