Students Mentoring Students Bursary
Students Mentoring Students Bursary (SMSB) is an exciting program offering resume-building experience and skills, PLUS a $1,000 bursary to 100 post-secondary students in Edmonton and Area!
Be a mentor to young people in your community and have a life-changing impact on their lives—and yours.
SMSB is a project in collaboration with an experiment through Volunteer Alberta called the Community Nonprofit Internship Program (CNiP), which is granting bursaries to volunteers attending post-secondary schools across Alberta as an incentive and reward for their generous service. BGCBigs is excited to participate in this program through our SMSB program.
By participating in BGCBigs' SMSB program you can gain new experience, build your resume, boost your profile, earn a $1,000* bursary, and of course make a positive difference in the lives of young people.
Students Mentoring Students Bursary program is powered by CNiP and Volunteer Alberta
Your commitment
- 100 post-secondary students will be a mentor to two (2) young people from September 2025 through May 2026.
- Each mentor will spend one (1) hour per week with each young person (2 hours max.).
- School locations include one of our All In for Youth (AIFY) Schools:
- Abbot Elementary
- Delton Elementary
- Ivor Dent Elementary/Junior High
- John A McDougall Elementary
- Norwood Elementary
- St. Alphonsus Elementary/Junior High
- Spruce Avenue Junior High
- Additional school locations include:
- Abbott Elementary
- Blessed John Paul 1 School (limited space available)
- Delton School
- Ecole Gabrielle Roy - Francophone School (limited space available)
- Edith Rogers School (limited space available)
- Garneau School (tentatively full)
- Ivor Dent Elementary/Junior High
- John A McDougall Elementary
- Kate Chegwin School (limited space available)
- Kisewatisiwin School FKA Dan Knott (tentatively full)
- Lee Ridge (limited space available)
- Menisa (tentatively full)
- Meyokumin School (tentatively full)
- Michelle Jean - Francophone School (limited space available)
- Millcreek School
- Norwood Elementary
- Pere Lacombe - Francophone
- St. Alphonsus School
- St. Elizabeth School (tentatively full)
- St. Teresa of Calcutta
- TD Baker
- Successful completion of the program requires:
- Spend approximately 40 hours mentoring in addition to completing 15-20 hours of enrollment, training and match monitoring requirements.
- Participate in mandatory online training(s)
- Complete a sign-in/sign-out form for every mentoring session
- Remain in good standing for the duration of the volunteer commitment
- Submit Bursary Application Form to Volunteer Alberta.
The above map shows the school locations and nearby transit centres.
A note about your availability
Because mentoring takes place during school hours, in order to fulfill your commitment, you will need approximately two (2) hours available between 9:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Fridays or between 9:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. on Thursdays.
We strongly encourage applications from a diverse group of equity-deserving students from representational and racialized backgrounds with diverse lived experiences.
Enrollment Process
All successful applicants will be required to:
- Apply to the SMSB program via the CNiP website
- Complete the BGCBigs online application form
- Provide three (3) references
- Provide proof of post-secondary enrollment
- Complete a Police Information Check
- Complete a Child & Youth Intervention Record Check
- Complete a pre-screen and interview (2.5 hrs)
What you'll get in return
$1,000* bursary upon completion of the program
Valuable resume-building assets such as:
- Letters of reference
- Strength-based training
- Real-world experience in a local school and classroom
- Increased social and network connections
In collaboration with
*In order to be awarded the Bursary volunteers must meet all program requirements and maintain good standing in the program.