Ehrlo Sport Venture’s newest program has officially launched.
The mentorship program, born of a partnership between Ehrlo Sport Venture and The Regina Intersectoral Partnership (TRiP) pairs youth identified by TRiP as most in need of mentorship with a caring adult mentor provided by Sport Venture. The program kicked off just over a month ago and has been going full force ever since. To date, there are five mentors working with nine children and youth from the TRiP program.
“Mentorship for young people experiencing difficulty is a gap identified in many initiatives in our community,” said Lance Dudar, TRiP coordinator. “This program is providing a much-needed service to TRiP and the families we are involved with.”
“So far, the program has been meeting and exceeding all our expectations,” said Sport Venture manager Amanda McConnell. “The feedback from the first month has been tremendous! The mentors and the kids they have been paired with have all connected really well; the reports we’ve been getting have really showcased the impact that mentorship and this program have had, even in a short period of time.”
Mentors have been working with their mentees on things like self-esteem, cooperation, and social skills. They have reached out to other mentor/mentee pairings in the program, forming friendships and working on skills in a relationship-based setting.
“The program is so much more than just going to do a fun activity for a couple hours a week. The learning and mentorship that goes on during their time together plays an important role in the development of self-determination and pro-social skills building in the young people we are working with,” Amanda said.
While it is meant to be more than fun – it is fun!
“The kids have been reporting back on all the fun they’ve been having and how they look forward to their weekly time with their mentor,” Amanda continued. “Some of the activities they have done, the kids hadn’t done it in years, and some are brand new experiences or something they have always wanted to do!”
