Community Mentoring
Big Brothers, Big Sisters or Big Sibling Program
Traditionally known as Big Brothers Big Sisters, our mentoring programs have grown in their diversity over the years. We’ll match your child with a Big Brother, Big Sister, or Big Sibling who will spend time with them out in the community. The focus is on positive role modelling.
In addition, we enroll young people who have had involvement with Children Services and could be living in alternate arrangements such as Foster Homes, Group Homes, or Kinship placements.
Kids Served: Kids between ages 6 and 24.
PRISM (Pride, Respect, Identity, Safety, Mentoring)
PRISM is a mentoring program designed specifically for the 2SLGBTQ+ community in Edmonton.
The PRISM program matches children and youth who identify as 2SLGBTQ+ with an adult mentor who also identifies as 2SLGBTQ+ for a 1-to-1 mentoring relationship. Through regular outings, the match will foster a supportive, empowering and fun friendship!
The purpose of a PRISM match is to:
- Provide role models for 2SLGBTQ+ children and youth
- Foster pride and self-confidence
- Create connections within Edmonton’s 2SLGBTQ+ community
- Offer 2SLGBTQ+ children and youth a safe adult mentor to have conversations with, provide support and celebrate who they are
- And above all, have fun!
To participate in PRISM:
- Mentees self-identify as 2SLGBTQ+, are between 6-24 years old, and want a mentor who identifies as 2SLGBTQ+
- Mentors self-identify as 2SLGBTQ+, are a minimum of 18 years old, and want to be matched with a mentee who identifies as 2SLGBTQ+
- Time commitment of 1 year
MYYAC (Mentoring Youth and Young Adults from Care)
MYYAC is designed for young people who are transitioning out of care and seeking a positive, supportive mentoring relationship to help them achieve their goals. Mentorship plays a vital role in supporting youth and young adults as they navigate their transition to independence and adulthood.
Who can apply:
- Young people between 16-24 years old
- Has current ‘in-care’ legal status (including Enhancement Agreement with Youth) or a TAP Agreement with CFS
- Have had an active/open ‘in-care’ CFS or TAP status within the last 5 years
How to apply:
- Please contact our Youth Development Supervisor, Ashley Berube, by phone at 780-822-2543 or by email at ashley.berube@bgcbigs.ca
Enrollment Process
Application Form
We are pleased to share that we are accepting applications to our Big Brother, Big Sister and PRISM programs for young people in the majority of the Edmonton and areas that we serve. However, there are a few areas that are still closed to applications for male mentees as our waitlist is at capacity in these specific communities.
Please review our application form to see if you live in an eligible area.
We continue to accept referrals from our agency partners in the Family Resource Networks, as well as for young people with Children and Family Services involvement.
For further questions and inquiries, please contact the Community-Based Coordinator, Haley Weeks, at haley.weeks@bgcbigs.ca or call 780-264-7143.
In-Person Interview and Training
We’ll contact the parent/guardian to set up an in-person interview where we’ll get to know the young person so we can match them to the best volunteer. The interview typically takes 2 hours. We will also complete the Training with the parent/guardian and the young person in the same appointment. We go over important concepts like boundaries, healthy relationships, and safety to make sure they’re starting their match off right.
Matching
This is when we find the young person a volunteer who is going to be a good fit. When we meet for the interview, we will discuss timelines and factors in finding a match.
Locations Served
Location: Edmonton, Strathcona County, Parkland County, Lac La Biche, Morinville, and St. Albert
Cost: FREE!