Volunteering in Calgary to change the world.

I am making a plea to the world-at-large for your resources. Though it seems like everyone is making pleas for so many of your resources, this plea is NOT about money. It is about your time.

Sanctuary@Knox needs MENTORS. Sanctuary@Knox is a learning centre at Knox United Church that is open from Monday – Thursdays from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Inner-city youth can come to learn whatever they want to learn. It is intended to be a safe place for these individuals to “hang out,” check email, learn new skills, and be part of a growing community where they belong and where they are valued without judgment. Research regarding the resiliency of youth tells us that if youth have the following, they will be able to meet the varying challenges of adulthood:
• the necessary skills to solve problems and engage in rewarding work
• a sense that they are part of a caring community
• a voice in directing their future
• a sense that they are valued by others
Sanctuary@Knox endeavours to provide this for the clients that come.

The clientele are all youths that are not living at home. They live in the emergency shelters available to them. These kids are not enrolled in school programs. Because most of them are “status” youths with Child Welfare, they are not brought before truancy review committees, as it is recognized that such committees really can’t force the kids to go to school. Traditional learning environments have not worked for these kids. At present, all clients of Sanctuary@Knox have been diagnosed ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disordered) and most of them (all but one) have also been diagnosed ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disordered). Traditional medications have not been considered successful for them. They have been out of school for extended periods of time. It makes the work with them extremely exciting and challenging. Normal instructional techniques do not work for long.

However, clients are coming. One client, who, in the past few years, has not attended any program for more than a few hours, has logged in close to 100 hours here. I can’t say that he is actively involved in a structured academic program; however, he continues to attend and wants to work on achieving his high school equivalency. In fact, that is the goal of all our clients at the moment, though there is much work to be done before that will be a realistic goal for them. The Government of Alberta is making provisions for us to enroll our clients in distance education for no fee and will negotiate the provision of funds to the project for every high school credit earned by them.

I am looking for volunteers who would mentor individual clients. The time commitment I am looking for is one-half to one-full day a week for the next 6 months (or half to one full day per month, per two weeks, for some period of time). You are not expected to “teach” in any formal manner. Rather you would be here on your given day, meet specifically with your client, and be present in the learning centre. In December I wrote the following in our newsletter regarding the qualifications needed:

"Once the program is begun, a volunteer is assigned as a “mentor” to support this young person on his/her journey. The Mentor simply provides a presence with the learner so that they have someone nearby for support. Mentors help by asking learners if everything is OK. Mentors observe when frustration is developing and suggest a break for, perhaps, coffee or a snack (we will supply the coffee and snacks). Mentors help by being able to reword questions and providing alternate vocabulary. Mentors help communicate that the person is accepted, welcome, and valued.

Though they are tremendously important to the program, mentors need no special training other than possessing good listening skills, an ability to remain non-judgmental with someone who is struggling to learn, and a large amount of patience. Having a good sense of humour is also a welcome quality, but not necessarily crucial."

Since that time, I realize that some training would be an asset and I am willing to engage in training sessions for those who would like to do so. These kids have very colourful vocabularies. Setting boundaries and establishing your own comfort level is part of the work we do with them. Their histories would make many cringe with discomfort, yet these kids do survive and have learned what it takes to do so.

We do NOT discuss religion, any particular belief system, or try to convert these kids. I have told them that we won’t talk religion unless they bring it up and we will only answer the question being asked.

We do use technology to assist these kids. During my doctoral research, I became aware of many programs that might assist learners and have upgraded the computers in the lab (3 machines) to have this software. You do NOT need to be computer literate to be a mentor. I take care of that portion as new clients arrive. It won’t hurt to have some awareness, but it is NOT required.

We also use digital photography, video, sound recording, web cams, etc. to assist kids. Representing their knowledge through video, photography, and sound recordings is one of the many ways we can build their expertise with language skills, editing, sharing information, processing information, and communicating with others. This all assists in transforming their self-identities from that of “non-learner” to that of “learner.”

Having said that this is not a plea for funds, we could ALWAYS use funds. Contributions are tax deductible when made payable to “Knox United Church.” Make sure to note “for Sanctuary@Knox” on the cheque. We can also use working digital cameras and video equipment if you have some lying around that are not being used. However, this is actually a plea for your time. Please consider us as you plan your volunteer time and think about how you could make the life of one of these kids change for the positive.

If you have an interest in being a mentor, please contact me by email (dmoulton@knoxunited.ab.ca), by phone (403-269-8382 ext 29 and leave a message) or by writing a comment on my blog. All volunteers must be vetted through a police check service provided by the United Church of Canada at no cost to the volunteer.