Photo courtesy of Big Brothers, Big Sisters Medicine Hat / Facebook

By Scott Roblin

Big Brothers, Big Sisters

Big Brothers, Big Sisters adapting to distancing between mentors & kids

Apr 27, 2020 | 5:13 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Barbara Kenworthy felt something missing in her life around two years ago, which sent her on the path to volunteering with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Medicine Hat.

She was matched up with her ‘little’ Takoda and a special bond was formed between the pair.

“For me, it was looking for that young person’s eyes in life,” said Kenworthy. “I was missing that part of life where everything is new and shiny, and they have a different perspective than us.”

That bond has been tested over the last number of weeks, as Big Brothers, Big Sisters is one of many community groups around Medicine Hat that have had to change the way they do business because of the pandemic.

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Face-to-face interactions are no longer possible between mentors and their kids, which has forced those interactions to move online in recent weeks.

“We love to craft, we love to be outside, we love to go out and do things,” said Kenworthy. “For us, the pandemic has created a little bit of a problem in that we can’t do a lot of things together. But, we do our best to try and get there when we can through video conferencing or something like that.

Big Brothers, Big Sisters say over half of all kids in their programs face four or more major adversities in their lives, putting them at an elevated risk of long-term mental and physical health problems.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Kids Help Line has also seen a 350 percent increase in the number of calls from kids experiencing anxiety and mental health concerns according to BBBS Medicine Hat.

Executive director Holly Stadnicki said in a statement to CHAT News that their primary goal is keeping lines of communication open during this period.

“We are uniquely positioned to ensure mentors continue to connect with young people who need it the most, when they need it the most, which is right now,” said Stadnicki. “We are one of the few youth-serving organizations that can reach right into the homes of our families, providing critical virtual support during this stressful time.”

“As part of our pandemic response, our agency is supporting and have prepared our mentors to communicate with their mentees about mental health concerns, build new routines with their mentees that provide a sense of stability, and connect mentees and their families to essential community supports, providing wrap-around care.”

Kenworthy said it’s a tough period for many children due to the uncertainty surrounding the virus, which makes the connections in place even more vital.

“It’s very important because the kids still need us,” she said. “They still need that side of things where we provide the fun, the mentoring, the stuff like that and they need us all the time. I think we provide something both for the parents and for the child that is not normally there.”

BBBS Medicine Hat has been undertaking other activities to boost the spirits of kids without their mentors, such as organizing birthday drive-by celebrations.

Although the video chats haven’t been nearly as enjoyable as the in-person interactions, Kenworthy is glad that she’s still able to meet in some way or another with Takoda.

“It’s good we still have a connection, we still have the ability to talk to one another or see one another,” said Kenworthy. “To be able to do that even though this pandemic is going on is very good.”

Those interested in volunteering with Big Brothers, Big Sisters is encouraged to visit the Medicine Hat chapter’s website.