My name is Bojana Nikolic and I’ve been volunteering my time with Big Brothers for the last eight years.
I started as a Teen Mentor with Big Brothers when I was 15 years old to gain volunteer hours for graduation. Today, I’m 23 and I’m still volunteering my time with an organization that does so much for kids and their volunteers.
Elias was in kindergarten when we met and we had so much fun hanging out every week. It was a fun break for him and for me because I got to leave class a little bit earlier to go hang out with him.
I finished high school and my volunteering requirements but found myself still wanting to stay involved with Big Brothers and Elias, who I had grown close to over the years. The transition from the Teen Mentoring Program to Adult In-School Mentoring was so smooth and I was able to continue seeing Elias every week until he hit Grade 8.
People are surprised when they ask how long I’ve been volunteering with Big Brothers. The reason I’ve stuck around for so long is because I enjoy feeling like I’m making a difference. When you sign up for the program, they tell you that there are kids waiting for someone to look up to, and that you could be one of them. It’s true, there are. What they don’t tell you is how you benefit from it as well.
Life can get crazy and it’s easy to say that you simply just don’t have time. This program gives you the opportunity to make a difference in the life of a child that deserves it, and it gives you a chance to sit back and just have fun.
To volunteer in one of the many programs Big Brothers has to offer for male and female volunteers, click here.