Tim Collins / News staff
Greg Kenyon, the principal of Revelstoke Secondary School takes a great deal of pride in the fact that the school he oversees is more than just an educational institution.
“People sometimes miss that we’re a community hub, and the base for activities and programs that a lot of people wouldn’t even know about,” said Kenyon.
One example, he said, is the youth liaison program that has been in operation at the school for the past six years. It’s a program funded by the Columbia Basin Trust that matches high school mentors with elementary school children to provide them with a “big brother or sister” who will then meet with the younger child on a regular basis for any of a variety of activities.
“It started out with a single match intended to match and elementary school child at Begbie View Elementary with an adult other than their parents or teachers…someone with whom they could form a bond,” said Kelly Silzer, the mentoring coordinator for the program.
“Since then the program has just kept growing. There’s a whole range of children selected for the mentorship program. They might be new to the community, or they may be struggling to make friends. This gives them a buddy to go skiing with, or go to the pool, or maybe just go downtown for a hot chocolate.”
As is the case for the well-known international “Big Brother” program, the high school mentors are carefully screened and undergo training before being paired with a child. Once paired, they will meet with their little buddy on a weekly basis and the activities they choose to plan is really up to the mentor and their buddy. (The program has no affiliation with Big Brothers.)
“The elementary school gets out before the high school so we walk little guys over to the high school to meet with their buddies and do something fun. It can be something as simple as building a snowman, but it’s a time that the little ones really look forward to,” said Silzer.
Last year the program had 25 matches and Silzer hopes to expand that number in the coming year.
“The relationships between the mentors and the little guys sometimes builds into a lasting friendship and sometimes it’s just a nice interlude for the little ones; the time they need to gain confidence and start making other friends in the community.”
Silzer explained that, last year, the program expanded to allow for younger mentors on a trial basis, and said she is hopeful that concept, too, will continue to grow.
“We allowed for a limited number of girls in grades seven and eight (nine in total) to get the training and get matched up with children in grades one and two. For this program we (program staff) were there with them to help out but it really was up to the older girls to plan and execute the activities,” explained Silzer.
“This is the kind of program that happens out of our school that, even though most people don’t know about it, plays an important part in the community. I’m very proud of the work that’s done by our students,” said Kenyon.