Trekkers’ ‘Big Trek/Little Trek’ program kicks off

Sat, 11/28/2015 - 7:15pm

THOMASTON — Trekkers has begun the 11th year of “Big Trek/Little Trek,” an after-school mentoring program that pairs high school students with third- and fourth-grade students from St. George School and Lura Libby School. 

This year, 15 students from Oceanside High School are participating as “Bigs” for the fall session of the program. Before the program’s start, all of the Bigs participated in an hour-long training to prepare them for their role. For nine of them, this program is their first experience as a mentor. Four of the mentors are also participants in Trekkers’ Leadership Program.

In years past, Trekkers has coordinated a range of five to seven matches at each school for a six-week session. This year, Lura Libby has seven matches while St. George has eight. The Big Trek/Little Trek pairs will meet in nine, weekly, one-hour sessions from mid-October to mid-December. Some of the Bigs actually went through the program as a “Little,” when they themselves were in the third- and fourth-grade, and this experience was often cited as a key reason they decided to sign-up this fall to be a mentor.

Each week, the students participate in a variety of activities together, both one-on-one and in large group settings. They will spend time being active on the school playground, playing basketball, playing board games, or doing arts and crafts together. In addition to enjoying the weekly activities, the Little receive encouragement from a positive role model, while the Bigs develop leadership skills and gain an appreciation for giving back to their community.

Keeping true to the Trekkers’ mission, Big Trek/Little Trek builds relationships and continues a mentoring tradition for older students who have already benefited from caring adult role models through their own Trekkers experience. 

Big Trek/Little Trek is designed to give the Bigs a chance to become peer mentors; encouraging them to take a more active role in the culture and development of our towns and school systems. The benefits for the Littles mirror those of the Bigs, helping to build self-esteem and foster interpersonal relationships. 

Trekkers Program managers Hannah Tannebring and Brandon Caron are leading this year’s Big Trek/Little Trek program. 

Speaking about the fall session, in a press release Caron said, “It’s amazing to see the amount of positive energy that is generated by the simple act of showing up and taking an interest in someone else’s life.  

First time “Big Trek” mentor Kaleb with his “Little Trek” having fun out on the Lura Libby playground during the Fall 2015 program.

FMI: trekkers.org