With the vision and investment of the McCall MacBain Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada launched the Enhancing Access to Mentorship initiative to address a growing challenge across the country: long waitlists and extended wait times for young people seeking mentorship.
Through two national cohorts of agencies, the initiative focused on strengthening waitlist management and expanding pathways into mentoring programs. Participating agencies examined their intake and referral processes, tested new volunteer recruitment strategies, and created clearer access for youth to both 1:1 and group mentoring programs. As a result, agencies are beginning to move more youth off waitlists through a range of options—including faster matching, earlier engagement in group programs, and stronger referrals to community supports when appropriate.
For Kim Megyesi, Executive Director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saskatoon and area, McCall MacBain’s investment funded a position focused on volunteer recruitment. “We were able to reopen the waitlist, decrease wait time, and match many more youth. Our grant was focused on recruiting Indigenous volunteers,” said Megyesi. The agency created a new partnership and Indigenous program called Nikaniwin, for which the pilot ran in the fall of 2024.
“We now have a separately funded staff person to focus on Nikaniwin and have 3 groups running with students from First Nations University of Canada (FNUC), building on the initial investment. Our focus on recruiting Indigenous volunteers increased our presence at FNUC, and we are regularly getting practicum students from there at our agency.”
"We were able to reopen the waitlist, decrease wait time, and match many more youth." -Kim Megyesi, Executive Director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saskatoon
The project has also strengthened how agencies track and respond to waitlist pressures. By improving data collection on inquiries, waitlist movement, and youth demographics, agencies can better understand where barriers exist and adjust strategies to more equitably reach the young people who need mentorship most.
Just as importantly, it is generating valuable learning for the entire federation. As these approaches continue to be refined, they will inform broader practices and tools that can beshared nationally – helping more agencies reduce wait times, strengthen partnerships, and ensure that more youth and families can access the life-changing power of mentoring.
We want to thank all our partners like McCall MacBain Foundation who help reach youth who need us most.
Help create more access to mentorship for youth across Canada.
