Big Brothers needed to support young males

A shortage of male volunteers needed to support our local mentoring initiatives has young males looking at a 2-3 year wait for a Big Brother.

We currently have 83 young males on a list, waiting to be matched with an adult male mentor. This number is expected to rise well beyond 100 once the 2022-23 school year begins and referrals come in for school-based programs. Since January of this year, we have received a total of 79 volunteer applications and only 9 of these were from male identifying individuals. With only 11% of applicants being male, we are seeing long wait times for Little Brothers who need mentors now.

BBBSG is Guelph’s largest youth mentoring charity, facilitating relationships between over 600 local children and their adult mentors in the community. Many young people find themselves in vulnerable situations and facing adversities which puts them at risk of not reaching their full potential. With the guidance of a mentor, these risks can be avoided, and these young people can gain the confidence to achieve more.

With the need for male volunteers at an all-time high and youth recovering from mental health strains and social isolation caused by the pandemic, BBBSG needs support from the community to ensure that all young males on the waiting list get the guidance and support they need.

We have a variety of programs, allowing community members to find one that works best with their schedule and lifestyle. These programs include both 1-1 and group mentoring opportunities that can occur in the daytime or evenings/weekends and have a variety of commitment levels.”