Aziz Ghafoor and Nafeel Arshad are fourth year Kinesiology students at UFV. They are also dedicated volunteers with local agencies of Big Brothers Big Sisters. The two have committed years of their lives to mentoring youth requiring additional supportive relationships.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada is a non-profit organization assisting young people who face adversity to develop and maintain relationships with mentors.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is facing a shortage of volunteers in the Fraser Valley. On average, little buddies, as the organization calls their mentees, wait for one to two years to be matched with a mentor. During the long wait times, Big Brothers Big Sisters offers support to the family in the form of group social activities and events.
The organization is in dire need of volunteers interested in meaningful opportunities to make a difference in the lives of the children they are matched with.
Cassie Silva, the Abbotsford/Mission agency’s mentoring coordinator, explains that volunteers pass a rigorous screening process before starting as a mentor.
“Volunteers must complete an application process including a criminal background check, driver’s abstract, and providing four references before an in-depth interview determines their suitability … Pre-match training is approximately three to four hours long and includes all the program rules, what to do in certain scenarios, and just makes sure they feel prepared and know their role.”
Before working with a child, mentors have to learn about the elements of a developmental relationship, setting effective boundaries, program expectations, and responsibilities for creating a safe environment for their little buddy.
According to Silva, UFV students continue to make up a large portion of volunteers for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“UFV students have made up a significant percentage of our volunteers. We’re really open to any student as long as they have the time, because we ask for a year-long commitment.”
Ghafoor and Arshad have balanced the workload of full-time university students with weekly commitments to the in-school programs their mentees are enrolled in. They commit to a scheduled weekly visit at the youth’s school where they hang out, watch movies, talk, or play sports.
Ghafoor started volunteering in 2018. He says the three full school years he’s been involved have been a learning experience as he watches his little buddy grow and develop over the years.
“It’s been an amazing experience. I feel I have grown with the program as well — in addition to seeing my mentees grow. These are at-risk youth who I foster a friendship with and we engage in things like sports, storytelling, and arts and crafts. It’s a very fun experience for me.”
Ghafoor has built friendships with two mentees in what he calls a “two-way relationship.”
“I’ve learned so much from visiting my mentee once a week. There’s a lot for me to learn and a lot for them, so it’s a growing experience for both of us.”
After graduation, Ghafoor is looking to remain involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters and his little buddies.
Arshad started mentoring seven years ago when, as a grade 10 student, he was encouraged to participate in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
“A friend recommended it to me back in grade 10. I was really young, but my mom pushed me to try it out. It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made and gave me the opportunity to make a positive impact in someone’s life.”
Arshad credits the mentoring program with fueling his passion for volunteering and especially mentorship. So much so that he branched out to other volunteer organizations and became a member of the National Youth Mentoring Advisory Council (NYMAC). NYMAC is a selected group of mentors from across Canada that promotes and advocates for youth mentoring.
“Cool story. We [NYMAC] actually went to Ottawa and spoke to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ourselves about a funding opportunity for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Trudeau invited us to his personal cabin and we all had a talk for around 30 minutes — each of the NYMAC members got a chance to speak about why we’re a part of NYMAC and Big Brothers Big Sisters.”
While in Ottawa, Arshad attended the 2019 Day on the Hill, a visit to the Parliamentary buildings, where he and his peers spoke to as many Members of Parliament (MP) as possible to let them know what Big Brothers Big Sisters is about, their primary purpose, and what their goals are.
“Our primary objective was to let them [Members of Parliament] know why we need funding and why funding is important and crucial for this organization [Big Brothers Big Sisters] to run.”
In November 2019, Arshad was invited to the B.C. Legislature to speak at a conference about his involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters. The Members of the Legislative Assembly wanted to hear about the positive impact mentoring has had on Arshad.
“I’m really happy about meeting so many amazing people from across Canada with NYMAC and Big Brothers Big Sisters. They’re friendships that I’m holding onto to this day. Also, seeing the positive aspects of leadership and where that can take you in the future. I’ve been able to develop communication, leadership skills, and teamwork.
It’s such an honour. I’m grateful for witnessing them [mentees] grow up and mature as [people] — with them through their rough points in their life, the ups and downs, and then celebrating the achievements that they accomplished. It’s an unbelievable experience.”
Image: provided by Nafeel Arshad
Steve is a third-year BFA creative writing/visual arts student who’s been a contributing writer, staff writer and now an editor at The Cascade. He's always found stories and adventures but now has the joy of capturing and reporting them.
