The search is on for role models in Carman as Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Pembina Valley (BBBSPV) prepares to bring its one-to-one mentoring programs to the community.

The organization has been running the Go Girls! program in Carman for the past few years, and it has been going quite well, according to Executive Director Jenelle Neufeld. She says that prompted the Board of Directors to expand the local offerings to include the traditional community match-up and in-school mentoring programs.

"It felt like the next natural step," said Neufeld. "It's been in the works for a little bit but COVID-19 put a bit of a damper on it. We felt like now was the right time to approach it and go through with it." 

"We're just looking for somebody that is willing to donate their time and be a consistent role model for a youth or child in their community," noted Neufeld.

In an effort to reduce the hurdles presented by the pandemic and their impact on the school system, Neufeld noted they are trying to put more of a focus on community mentoring rather than the in-school program for now. She says they've already had people in Carman reach out looking for a Big Brother or Big Sister to be that positive influence in their lives.

"We're just looking for somebody that is willing to donate their time and be a consistent role model for a youth or child in their community," noted Neufeld.

"The tasks or things that your doing with them, it can be anything, just making sure that you're consistent," she explained, adding the list can range from low cost options like going to the beach or a baseball game, or playing catch in the park, to some splurge items like going to a Winnipeg Goldeyes game or a movie. "It's just having somebody there that is consistently showing up for them and wanting to be a part of their life, and just being a positive person that they can depend on."

Neufeld added, a big part of the experience as a mentor, or Big, is also getting the chance to have your life impacted in a positive way.

"I think a lot of people come to us wanting to change a youth's life, but they don't always realize that their life is going to be changed as well," she said. "It is a relationship, and it's a two-way street...and both parties have to put in the same amount of effort."

The vetting process to become a mentor includes the typical criminal record and child abuse registry checks, followed by an interview to assess the candidate's particular interests.

"We meet with the Little and their family, and we meet with the Big, and we look at what their similar interests are and we match them based on those," explained Neufeld. "We find that we have a much better success rate in doing that, their not struggling to find things to do with their Little because they already have that common interest and it just sets a really strong foundation for them."

The pairing process is also going to look slightly different as BBBSPV expands its reach into Carman.

Neufeld explained the priority is to first find volunteers before opening up applications to Littles.

"Just so we don't get a large list of children and youth on our wait list...we're just trying to be more proactive," she said. Wait lists already exist in the other communities served by BBBSPV including Altona, Winkler and Morden.

Click HERE for more information on how to apply to become a Big in your community.

Ideally, Neufeld says the goal is to have the mentorship programs up-and-running in Carman for the fall.