P.E.I. teen mentorship program expands with help from $115K in grants

Big Brothers Big Sisters of P.E.I. has received a $25,000 grant from Rogers Communicationsand $30,000 for three years from the Charlottetown Rotary Clubto expand its teen mentorship program.

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The grants were "quite a surprise," saidMyron Yates, the organization's executive director, because they're so used to having to raise the funds themselves.

"For someone to call us up and just to offer this particular grant it was first of all an honour, secondly itwas totally unexpected, and thirdly it was very timely in that we were able to go ahead and make some plans to expand our teen mentorship program," Yates said.

A 'win-win' for students

The organization'steen mentorship programstarted last year, pairing high school andjunior high students with elementary school students in their community.

It's a lot of work, but I tell you it's very rewarding work. Myron Yates

The students spend one hour per week together throughout the school year becoming friends, playing games and forming a bond.

The biggest surprise for Yates was hearing the heartwarming feedback from the high schoolers.

"They had a greater appreciation for what they'd been given in their lives, or they were more involved in projects outside the school or they learned kindness and enthusiasm or confidence," he said.

"We were getting a lot of feedback about the impact that being a mentor had on them too so we're really having a win-win situation."

128 mentors for 128 students

This year the program has partnered with Three Oaks Senior High,Kensington Intermediate, Colonel Gray High School, Montague Regional High School and Montague Intermediate, BluefieldHigh School, East Wiltshire intermediateand two other schools expanding the program to 128 mentors for 128 elementary students.

The additional funding allows them to fund staff to oversee the program.

"It's a lot of work, but I tell you it's very rewarding work," Yates said.

"The teen mentoring program is really about giving young people opportunities allowing them to flourish so they can grow up and obviously mentor others in that aspect as well," saidJames Rajotte, vice president for provincial municipal government affairs with Rogers Communications.

"Organizations like this have a tremendous impact in their communities we as citizens and as corporations need to support organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters when they do these types of activities."

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