Mentor (PRISM for 2SLGBTQ+ Youth)

Volunteer Manitoba; Winnipeg; On-site; CAD 30,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative opportunity awaits with a forward-thinking organization dedicated to empowering 2SLGBTQ+ youth in Winnipeg. As a volunteer mentor in the PRISM program, you'll build meaningful one-on-one relationships that inspire and support young individuals facing various challenges. This role not only allows you to foster pride and self-confidence within the community but also provides you with the chance to make a lasting impact in the lives of youth. Join a vibrant team committed to creating safe spaces and promoting inclusivity, and help shape the future of the next generation while gaining invaluable experience in mentorship and community engagement.

Benefits

Training/Orientation

Letter of reference

Supervision

Qualifications

• Must be 18 years or older and identify as 2SLGBTQ+.
• Requires criminal record check and references.

Responsibilities

• Commit to one outing per week for at least one year.
• Provide mentorship and support to 2SLGBTQ+ youth.

Skills

Identify as 2SLGBTQ+

Satisfactory criminal record check

Provide references

Vehicle and valid Manitoba Driver's license

Creative and flexible

Trustworthy and reliable

Supportive and non-judgmental

Integrity

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

Organizational Description: Established in 1969, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg is a registered charity located on Treaty One Territory in the heart of Downtown Winnipeg. For over 50 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg has facilitated youth mentoring programs that inspire and empower children and youth to reach their potential, both as individuals and citizens.

Our individual (one-on-one) and group mentoring programs provide youth with a mentor, friend, and role model, establishing a unique and life-changing relationship. In turn, youth develop their minds to overcome adversities such as detrimental living conditions, family violence, declining mental health, school issues, and identity challenges.

With the guidance and support of a mentor, these risks can be reduced or even avoided, and youth are reminded they can be anything they dream of being.

We are part of a nationally recognized Federation comprised of 95 member agencies servicing more than 1,100 communities across Canada. Together, we mobilize over 21,300 volunteers who, in turn, mentor 41,700+ children and young people. That is roughly 2.2 million volunteer hours recorded each year.

Volunteer Opportunity Details

Volunteer Opportunity ID: 3487

Description of Duties:

PRISM is an innovative mentoring program designed specifically for the 2SLGBTQ+ community in Winnipeg. The first of its kind in Manitoba, the PRISM program matches children and youth who identify as 2SLGBTQ+ with an adult mentor who also identifies as 2SLGBTQ+ for a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Through regular outings, the match will foster a friendship that is supportive, empowering, and fun!

The PRISM program requires volunteers to commit to one outing per week, for a couple of hours. Mentors and mentees are asked to commit for a minimum of one year.

The purpose of a PRISM match is to:

1. Provide role models for LGBTTQ2IA* children and youth
2. Foster pride and self-confidence
3. Create inter-generational connections within Winnipeg's 2SLGBTQ+ community
4. Offer LGBTTQ2IA* children and youth a safe adult mentor to discuss identity with
5. And above all, have fun!

The LGBTTQ2IA* community has a rich legacy of forging informal mentoring networks as a mode of survival. Today, the community has made great strides, yet LGBTTQ2IA* youth continue to face barriers. Research shows that formal mentoring programs are a powerful, protective factor for this demographic as they develop their own unique sense of self.

Volunteer mentors are extensively screened and properly trained before they are matched. Each match receives the ongoing support of a professional caseworker through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg.

Skills Required:

1. Identify as 2SLGBTQ+
2. Be 18 years old or above
3. Provide a satisfactory criminal record check with vulnerable sector clearance
4. Provide three or four satisfactory references
5. Vehicle and valid Manitoba Driver's license is preferred (to accommodate transportation on outings)
6. Respect the confidential nature of our services and sign a confidentiality agreement
7. The ability to be creative and flexible in establishing activities with youth
8. Be trustworthy, energetic, mature, stable, reliable, accepting, patient, caring, and respectful of others
9. Be supportive and non-judgmental in your interactions with children and youth
10. Promote the welfare and safety of the child or youth
11. Act with integrity
12. Be comfortable with the Big Brother Big Sister of Winnipeg's core values, policies, and procedures

Skills Gained/Related Careers:

1. Improve experience surrounding youth mentorship and engagement
2. Gain experience and expand knowledge of 2SLGBTQ+ child development
3. Satisfaction of contributing to the improvement of child/youth quality of life
4. Acquire experience related to career goals such as social work, education, health care, and social sciences.

Age: 18-30, 31-54, 55+

Time Commitment: 2 to 4 hours per week in the evenings or weekends for a minimum commitment of one year. Meeting times will be scheduled depending on the availability of both the volunteer/mentor and the child/youth.

Location of volunteer opportunity: Winnipeg

Does opportunity require a criminal record check? Yes

Will cost be reimbursed? No

Does opportunity require a child abuse registry check? Yes

Will cost be reimbursed? Yes

Opportunity is available to candidates that: General Populace

Organization will provide:

1. A letter of reference
2. Supervision
3. Training/Orientation
4. By request

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Volunteer Manitoba is located on the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Anisininew, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation. We acknowledge that the clean water we drink comes from Shoal Lake 40 first nation, and that our electricity is produced on treaty territory. Volunteer Manitoba respects the Treaties that were made on these territories, we acknowledge the harms and mistakes of the past, and we dedicate ourselves to move forward in partnership with Indigenous communities in a spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.