City to Surf 14km for Big Brothers Big Sisters Christchurch

Big Brothers Big Sisters want all tamariki (young people) to achieve their potential in life. They want to live in a city where every child feels seen, heard and valued.

Their mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of our tamariki through strong and enduring, professionally supported mentoring relationships. As Christchurch’s largest volunteer mentoring network, they make meaningful, supervised matches between adult volunteers and children aged 6-12.

It is all about 'adding in' to the lives of tamariki in need of some extra care and attention. They do this by matching young people with suitable adult mentors.

The tamariki and their mentor meet once a week with one of the key objectives being to have as much fun as possible doing things they enjoy – and in the process building a friendship.

"Mentors become like a stake in the ground next to a sapling, providing stability and a listening ear to the young people as they navigate their way through a tumultuous time of life"

I have been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters as a mentor for over 18 months now. I mentor April, a 10 year old hockey crazed, animal lover from Rolleston.

When I asked April what her favourite things have been during our time together she said she loved bowling (I think it's because she won), hanging out at my house doing experiments, playing with the dog and making pizza and going to watch the Crusaders game... because of the horses at the beginning!

I believe that I am so lucky to be able to be part of such an amazing organisation and have such an incredible friend in April!