The Power of Mentoring

A Letter from Tim on the Importance of Mentoring

My name is Tim, and I strongly believe in the value and values of mentoring. Mentoring has shaped me into who I am today, and I don't make that statement lightly. I am fortunate to have some fantastic people who mentored me growing up. Whether it was my grade six and seven teacher who inspired me to remain positive and tackle every challenge as it came my way, or a scout leader who reminded me of the importance of trying my best and giving back to the community. One of the most influential mentors in my life was my grandmother. If you knew her, you most likely knew her as "Nanny." Since my parents were relatively young when I was born, she raised me while my parents finished high school, and I have nothing but the best memories of our conversations over timbits and cards. Sometimes we talked about life, sometimes we talked about hockey and other times, she was just there as a sounding board. She taught me so much; honestly, knowing she was there in my corner allowed me to take on things that I thought were much bigger than me. It's been over 13 years since I said goodbye, but the lessons learned will help guide me for the rest of my life. She never had the opportunity to meet my kids, but I have the chance to try and instill her wisdom into them.

Mentoring doesn't have to be this formal thing. Mentoring is about a consistent, positive role model in a child's life. The Minister of Education in BC has identified that a student who can recognize at least two caring adults in their life beyond their parents is an indicator of student success. The reality is more and more children are missing that caring, consistent role model. Someone to be there to listen, laugh and sometimes cry—someone to be in their corner and give them the self-confidence to tackle the complexities of life.

In closing, I want to share a story about Chris. He loved pizza, was a die-hard Vancouver Canucks fan and had a great sense of humour. Many challenges were happening in his life, and school was not a daily priority. He missed more meetings for the first three months of the match than he attended. As the relationship developed, Chris started ensuring he was in school on Wednesdays because that was the day his mentor came. By the end of the first year, Chris was attending school regularly. Chris and his mentor were matched for two additional years, and by the end of the second year Chris was attending school regularly and made the honour roll for his work habits. When Chris finished grade 7, the match closed, and a card was shared with his mentor. It read, "I know you are busy, but you took time each week to come to hang with me. You showed me I was important." There is a lot of data I could share about the local impact of mentoring, but instead of that, I want to reflect on my sixteen-plus years working for Big Brothers Big Sisters. I have seen more and more stories like Chris'. Our mentors create change. Each week they give their time and help build self-confidence, and self-esteem and develop strong, confident youth. They show up and that investment of time laughing, playing and hanging out makes the greatest impact.