Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, on behalf of all young Canadians, for the opportunity to present today.
Investing in Canada's children and youth lays a foundation for a productive and competitive Canada. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada has been providing mentoring programs to young people in Canada for over 100 years. We're currently serving 1,100 communities across the country, with 108 locations.
Youth mentoring is a dynamic two-way relationship that puts children and youth at the centre, and it plants the seeds for leadership and civic community engagement. Mentoring can take many forms, from natural supports to formal, structured mentoring. The goal or intent can include career development, academic achievement, personal development, cultural or faith-based growth, or life skills development. Mentoring can also occur in a variety of settings: in the community, schools, the workplace, or online. It can be one-on-one, or in some cases, group mentoring. There's no question, though, that mentoring Canada's young people changes the course of their lives, and in turn, changes the future of our communities to create a better society in which children, youth, and adults live, work, play, participate, thrive, and become productive citizens.
Many children and youth in Canada struggle with societal barriers and face adversities in their lives, such as various detrimental living conditions, family violence, risk factors for mental health, identity challenges, or challenges with school. These circumstances have nothing to do with the value of who they are or who they can become. These circumstances or adversities, known in neuroscience research as “toxic stress”, have an impact on children's brain development, and if not checked, they often deprive our Canadian children and youth of the opportunity to live their life to full potential. In many cases, these youth develop behavioural and social problems that cause them not to complete school or move into post-secondary education, find employment, or become contributing members of our society. Even worse, they fall into the cycles of poverty and crime, and develop mental health issues. The cost to the young person and to society is very significant.
However, I'm here with some good news. With the guidance and support of a mentor, these risks can be reduced or even avoided and youth can be anything they dream of being. Neuroscience also tells us that mentoring—two-way, back-and-forth relationships—can repair the damage of toxic stress resulting from these adversities present in the lives of hundreds of thousands of young Canadians, millions of young Canadians.
According to the Center on the Developing Child, at Harvard University, “children who do well despite serious hardship have had at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive adult.” Today, more than ever, we're seeing young Canadians facing more and more complexity in our society and more adversities such as poverty, unsafe communities, and poor mental health. Statistically we know that more indigenous and ethno-racial youth are facing these adversities, or toxic stressors, as they're known in neuroscience. Ethno-racial youth are the fastest growing youth population in Canada.
Such adversities affect young Canadians in terms of detrimental effects around educational, employment, and quality of life outcomes. For example, indigenous youth and youth who have recently immigrated to our country are more likely to be directed away from academic-level courses, with lower expectations, more limited opportunities to learn, and fewer post-secondary options. However, the ability of mentoring to intervene and redirect these trajectories is well documented.
In 2013, a consulting group's study of youth who participated in our mentoring programs found that they were 17% more likely to be employed as adults, 13% more likely to be involved in charitable giving, and 50% more likely to be involved in volunteering in their communities. Of the study respondents, 63% had post-secondary education, 47% held senior-level positions, 13% had higher earnings than their counterparts, 80% said they pursued healthier lifestyles as a result of their mentoring program, and 96% said they were happy.
When we're talking about industry and competitiveness, if we don't have this foundation, we won't have healthy adults to move into all these industries in the future.
For success in today's global economy, providing young people with mentorship opportunities keeps them in school, enables them to find employment, and it helps them be contributing and productive citizens of our communities. It gives them the confidence to achieve more.
Mentoring helps to close the opportunity gap for underprivileged children, but also encourages kids of every socio-economic background to stay in school and achieve more. It's clear that a critical lever in fostering better educational outcomes and improving Canada's productivity and prosperity is to provide positive mentoring relationships that can transform the trajectory of young Canadian lives.