BarTalk February 2003
Volume 15, Number 1

by Gil Yaron

Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver offers volunteer opportunities for men and women, and the time commitment can be as little as one hour a week.

For years I had thought of becoming a ‘Big Brother’ to a boy, but my life was too transient and unstable while in university. Being a Big Brother appealed to me because I wanted a volunteer experience that was fun and brought me into meaningful contact with someone (unlike some of my other volunteer efforts, including sitting on boards or providing pro bono legal advice). Sometime in early 2000, my life came into alignment – a stable job, permanent residence, relatively consistent schedule – and I realized the time was right.

My orientation with Big Brothers went smoothly. I met with a mentoring coordinator, completed a reference check and attended a training session. After reviewing profiles of prospective Little Brothers I chose Phillip. Phillip was a 12-year old who had been waiting for a Big Brother for a couple of years. He lived near me (which was important because I didn’t own a car) and we seemed to share a number of things in common.

We connected the first time we met and agreed to try things out. During our first year together, we met every weekend for three to four hours. We fixed our bikes, had snowball fights, went swimming, hiking, waterskiing, ice skating, snow-tubing, snowshoeing, played video games, basketball, and before we knew it, our first year was up.

Now Phillip is 14. We see each other less frequently, but we are still good friends and enjoy playing handball and going to movies. We have also started a tradition of making gingerbread cookies for Christmas and each year Phillip gives a small bag to each of his family members.

Over the past two years, I have watched Phillip grow from a child looking up to me into a teenager towering over me (he is almost 6’ tall). I used to think that I couldn’t afford the time to be a Big Brother, but the experience made me realize how little time it takes and how it makes me happier and more able to tackle all the other, more onerous, obligations in my life. His mother says that our relationship and having a male role model in his life has helped Phillip. I know his friendship has helped me to remember how to be a kid and to bring more fun into my life.

Being a Big Brother is fun, easy and meaningful. It doesn’t take a lot of time and there are many rewards. If you are interested in becoming a Big Brother, or finding out about Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver’s other volunteer opportunities for men and women, call them at 604.876.2447 (ext. 235), e-mail them at mail@bigbrothersvancouver.com, or visit www.bigbrothersvancouver.com.

Gil Yaron is Director of Law and Policy for the Shareholder Association for Research and Education (www.share.ca). He was called to the Bar in 1998 and has been a Big Brother since 2000.

This article was published in the February 2003 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.