Big Brothers Big Sisters Grande Prairie is creating a safe space for kids and volunteers to use, as a reliable place to hang out.
Donor Relations Coordinator Erika Gilroy says the basement former dance studio is being transformed into a space for both matches, as well as kids on their waiting list to use free of charge.
“We recognize right now with COVID-19 it’s pretty limiting on what they can do, so what we want to do is have a games room and a crafts room and a movie theatre room— just different places for our matches to use,” she says.
She adds the project has been ongoing for a few months, with renovations in the space are currently in the works. She says Big Brothers Big Sisters is currently looking for materials to turn the space into a versatile activity hub.
Gilroy says the goal is to have the space ready for use prior to, or early into the new year. One of the bottlenecks, however, are the current COVID-19 restrictions which are restricting matches from meeting in person.
“With the new restrictions, it’s kind of put a damper on what our matches can do. We’re hoping to work on the space over the next month or so, [and] hopefully in the new year it will be a space that they can use and we’ll have to see with COVID-19 what that will look like.”
Kyle Evans, a Big Brother with the organization since January 2020, says throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, finding things to do with his matched little sister has been difficult. He adds having a reliably available safe space will dramatically help to reduce anxieties associated with going out.
“It’s so hard to find stuff to do with COVID-19 being a super big problem in this city right now. A lot of places are either closed, there [are] major restrictions, and also the anxiety for both of us is just a big factor.”
“One problem we’ve been facing is the anxiety with the entire thing is a factor when going out, especially for my little sister. I don’t want her to ever have anxiety when we’re hanging out and COVID-19 is making that a big factor,” he says.
Big Brothers Big Sisters posted a wish list on Wednesday stating some of the amenities they are looking for to fill the activity space. These include couches, chairs and bean bag chairs, easels and taper, a theatre-style popcorn machine, yoga or foam mats, RC cars, video game consoles and devices, an air hockey table, and a foosball table.