Cindy has been a Mentoring Coordinator at Big Brothers for over a year. Before working with us, she had worked in the banking industry then went back to school at an Aboriginal University to get her Bachelors in Social Work. Cindy had her practicum at the Aboriginal Mothers Centre for a couple years, working with women fleeing. After that, she helped with the starting stages of setting up a non-profit organization that provides afterschool programming for children in the Downtown Eastside.
As a Mentoring Coordinator, Cindy supports the mentoring matches in the Community Big Brothers Program, Adult Virtual In-School Mentoring Program, and the Mentoring with Math program. “To me, mentoring is building a safe space for people to walk alongside and journey through life together while learning how to deal with different life experiences.”
Working directly with matches, Cindy hears first-hand about the positive impact Big Brothers makes on the communities it serves. Between the guardian, child, and mentor, each plays their own part and makes their own contribution to the mentoring relationships. With consistency, trust is built and the relationship grows from there. She loves to see the enthusiasm and interactions within the matches, in addition to watching children’s confidence grow along with the belief in themselves.
When asked what she would say to her 13-year-old self, Cindy said, “Go for it and dare to be, be free to be me, be yourself.”