You can change a life in just a few hours a month

What if you could change a life? You would have to spend just a couple of hours of your free time in a given month, but you’d make a big difference in someone’s future. Would you do it? 

This is the opportunity being provided by the Calgary Centre for Newcomers, who are putting out an urgent call for mentors for their Real Me program. The program is part of the Identity-Based Wraparound Intervention (IBWI) project, a collaborative initiative led by the Faculty of Social Work, based on research by professor Hieu Van Ngo, PhD.  

Mentors come from a diverse mix of backgrounds and they volunteer for diverse reasons. Some, like fourth-year economics student Hussein El-Sedawy, see a little of themselves in the youth they are matched with.  

Breaking down isolation  

Remembering the struggles he had as a Muslim youth integrating into Canadian society, El-Sedawy felt he could really make a difference by giving a few hours a week. “I get real satisfaction from helping them to realize their potential,” he says. “It makes me feel like I’m doing something good for society and I’m doing something good for them.”

El-Sedawy says he provides reassurance that it’s possible to be a good Muslim and still be active in Canadian society. As an advocate and a friend he says he provides positive energy that can give youth the courage to stand up for themselves in difficult situations.

The importance of one good relationship

Kalista Sherbaniuk, a Master of Social Work student, was born and raised in Canada, so her mentorship is quite different than El-Sedawy's. Having said that, her connection is just as important to the youths she mentors.

“There might be a few times when I'm maybe feeling low energy,” admits Sherbaniuk. “I'm like, ‘Oh, I don't really want to drive up there, or go play hockey today.’ I always remind myself in those moments that sometimes all it takes for someone to have success is one good relationship. Research shows that youth who experience adverse childhood experiences can benefit from just one good relationship. So when I'm feeling tired, I remind myself of how important it is.”

Both Sherbaniuk and El-Sedawy are quick to point out that they feel they get as much back from the youth they mentor as they give. As a future social worker, Sherbaniuk says she’s learned a lot about the issues newcomers face, while having a good opportunity to develop her micro-skills. El-Sedawy says the flexible program provides him with a great deal of personal satisfaction and a feeling like he’s doing his part to ‘pay it forward.’

Paying it forward

In many ways becoming a volunteer with the Real Me program is an ultimate way to give back, whether you’re a born-and-raised Calgarian or an immigrant. Mentorship is a vital part of the IBWI project, which aims to restore and strengthen positive identities of high-risk and gang-involved youth from an immigrant or racialized background. 

Mentors become part of an extended team that extends to the youth’s families, schools, and communities. The IBWI approach provides individualized support that brings together services for the youth while furthering research, evaluation, and public education for this population.

“I think there's also lots of opportunity for it to really impact you in the ways in which you view things,” adds Sherbaniuk. “So yeah, you are a support for the youth, but I think in lots of ways you learn from them as well.”

About IBWI

IBWI is a partnership between the Faculty of Social Work, the Centre for Newcomers, the Calgary Police Service and Guyn Cooper Research Associates. The initiative is a collaborative response to the changing demographics in Canada, and to our research-informed learning that gang-involved youth from immigrant communities have experienced unravelling of self-concept, identity, citizenship and overall sense of belonging due to multiple, traumatic life experiences at home, at school and in community.

If you’re interested in becoming a mentor, contact Elaine Mew at the Centre for Newcomers. The Real Me program has an urgent need for new mentors.