YAY Sends Out Urgent Plea For Mentors to At-Risk Toronto Youth Special

As gun violence in the Toronto rises with the temperatures, the Youth Assisting Youth mentorship program issues an urgent plea for volunteers.

It’s still May and already it’s been a bang up year for gun violence in Toronto. As summer comes easing round the corner, Chukwuma Okonkwo is, if not a worried man, a more than concerned one. Every youth violence headline in the media just makes his life a little harder. He’s not complaining but it doesn’t have to necessarily be that way. Just over a year ago, the dynamic 24 year old was doing well financially but wanted more from his life. Something to balance the deep negatives like losing two friends to gun violence. “I just had this feeling I wanted to do something to be of help. At this time Obama was going through the primaries and that gave me some focus, to look at what I could do to make a difference, give back to my community. I started looking around at community active groups and settled on Youth Assisting Youth”. Part of what made YAY attractive was its volunteer mentor based methods. As all of YAY’s programs are mentor based, the volunteer selection process is finely tuned. Grass roots neighbour to neighbour action is very crucial to YAY’s ethos. Volunteers must be between 16 and 29, willing to commit at least 3 hours a week and have a clean police record. As many YAY clients are recent arrivals, they must be culturally sensitive. They must be positive thinkers; able to bring experiences to the kids they wouldn’t otherwise have, with a strong ability to connect with youth and a solid commitment to being a positive role model. The one on one program pairs volunteers with youth in need of guidance from within their own neighbourhood. Okonkwo’s commitment to YAY was such that within a year he was named Volunteers Coordinator, a post heavy with responsibility. The Volunteer Coordinator handles the myriad tasks which need to happen in sync to make YAY active. As it has been since 1976, during which time upwards of 20,000 youth have passed through its mentorship program. “A big part of my duties involves the recruitment and vetting of prospective volunteers. We recruit heavily from the colleges and universities and other programs and groups who are also into youth action in the community. We select only the cream of the crop”. YAY offers programs to handle all time lines: after-school and evening programs, weekend and one on one mentorship which involves at least any three of hours of the week, decided between the mentor and mentored. YAY changed Okonkwo’s life and gave him the means to change the lives of others. And there’s lots of changing to be done. At any one time, YAY has 1,300 youths in its programs and in its very success lies the seeds of its current problem. “We’re desperately in need of male volunteers. The need has never been greater. Just based on population growth alone, we have many more at-risk youth and not enough mentors to pair them with. Come summer and lots of free time, the need becomes even more crucial. “ So if you have or know anyone who has the time and the qualities we’re looking for, especially being a positive role model, pass this on. And remember, it happens in your own neighbourhood so you don’t have far to go. “The demands aren’t that great. Providing experiences they wouldn’t have had otherwise, broadening their perspectives could be something as easy as taking a kid to a ball or hockey game. “There are advantages for the mentors as well. Apart from an effective support system, we offer access to scholarships; mentorship is a strong resume builder, hold mentor only events and offer a wider scope for networking. “YAY enjoys an excellent relationship with the Toronto Police Force. Currently they run a boxing program and another, Saddle Up For Success, which introduces the kids to horseback riding. Their involvement makes a big difference on these kids' perspectives on the cops” "Recent case in point involved a participant in the Saddle Up For Success program. After 8 weeks he went from being a tosser of garbage at cop cars to waving at the officers behind his friends back. From a youth on the edge of gang life, he’s since moved away from that into a more positive space." Okonkwo’s wish for his city: “I’d like for the people of Toronto to step up and make a change in their own neighbourhoods, in any way they can. Look around, see what you can to give back to your community, get involved. If you’re stumped for ideas give me a call at YAY. We need all the capable help we can get”.