Big Brother Big Sister Outaouais Services in need of volunteers and funds for their program

Sophie Demers

 

The need to provide support to children in the region grows greater due to the societal impacts of the pandemic however securing volunteers and resources is also an obstacle post pandemic.
“There are more than 100 of kids that have a mentor through our program; however, the pandemic has affected the amount of mentors that are available to give their time,” says the Vice-President of the organization, Jean-Louis Levasseur. Levasseur notes that the BBBSO welcomes anyone interested in becoming a Big Sister or Big Brother to contact them through their website.
The Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Outaouais (BBBSO) has been supporting young people in the region for over 35 years. According to the vice-president of the organization,Jean-Louis Levasseur, their mission is to create inspiring and life-changing mentoring relationships that ignites the full potential of young people in the Outaouais region and equip them for the future.
The mentoring program provides young people and adolescents with a role model to talk to and share their lived experiences. Through regular outings, a relationship is developed between the mentor and the mentee that builds trust and allows individuals to discover common interests. All mentor and mentee pairings are overseen and are supported by the organization's experienced case-workers. The program is usually made up of two regularly scheduled outings a month and for a minimum of one year.
According to Levasseur, the outcome of this program can be a life-changing experience for both the mentor and the mentee. Programs like this are a safety net for many children. If you would like to support the program, BBBSO runs a clothing drive as a major source of their funding. The clothing is then sold in bulk to second hand clothing stores which helps to fund the programs. For more information about donating used clothing, donating funds or volunteering visit the Big Brother Big Sister Outaouais website.