The 111 Files: Looking out for good role models

Darryl Parker is the Rotorua co-ordinator of a mentoring programme called Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Photo / Supplied

Last Thursday, Sergeant Steve Sutton and I had a great day patrolling around the town on bikes. One of the great things about being on a bike is that you can cover quite a bit of ground, but you are still accessible enough for people to make eye contact and have a chat. I think Steve and I spent as much time off our bikes talking to people as we did on them.

One lovely local woman I had a conversation with wanted to share her concerns about some of our young people. It turned out she was unaware there were so many organisations in Rotorua working in support of young people.

In last week's column, I mentioned how fortunate we are to have so many passionate people living in Rotorua who are working hard to make a positive difference. I thought it might be encouraging for you to hear what some of them are up to.

Darryl Parker is the Rotorua co-ordinator of a mentoring programme called Big Brothers, Big Sisters (BBBS). Although BBBS is new to Rotorua, it's an old organisation that has stood the test of time. It was founded in New York in 1904 by Ernest Coulter who was concerned about disadvantaged boys and girls who needed support and guidance to keep them on the right path.

Today, BBBS is operating in 13 countries and serving 280,000 children. The vision of BBBS is for all young people to achieve their potential in life. Its mission is to make a positive difference through strong and enduring, professionally supported, mentoring relationships. The mentors for BBBS are community volunteers, not professional social workers.

Consequently, BBBS does not usually work with children with complex problems or who are in the criminal justice system. Instead, they focus on children who do not have an older male, or female, role model to provide them support as they grow.

The local branch of BBBS has been running for less than a year, so is still in the "start-up" phase. Darryl's focus is on recruiting and training volunteers. There are a couple of ways you could help him. The first is to become a mentor. The minimum commitment is one hour a week, which is a pretty modest ask when you consider the life-long impact that contact might have.

During that one hour, you engage in a simple activity such as kicking a ball around, playing a board game or going for a walk - and we have plenty of beautiful walks in Rotorua. A second option is to give financially, either as a one-off gift, or through regular payments.

-If you want to know more about BBBS, you can contact Darryl at darryl.parker@bigbrothersbigsisters.org.nz; or visit bigbrothersbigsisters.org.nz