Community Living program benefits both mentors and students
A program run by Community Living Ontario that matches students with mentors to help further their education is expanding to the Sudbury region.
The program, Student Links Mentoring, matches students with a passion or interest in a particular field with mentors or experts who share that same passion.
Chris Beirness, 21, said his mentor Eugene Audette is a father figure. Beirness and Audette meet every week in Audette’s shop.
“He's been teaching me so much. Like when I first started, all I knew were hammers, nails, drills and screws,” Beirness said.
“I never knew how to use chisels or files or anything like that.”
Beirness has been under Audette’s wing for the last four years.
“It doesn't matter what subject it is, he wants to learn,” Audette said.
A program run by Community Living Ontario that matches students with mentors to help further their education is expanding to the Sudbury region. (Photos courtesy of Community Living Ontario)
Over the years, they’ve built things from Beirness’ favourite video game and movie franchises.
“We are working on the master sword from The Legend of Zelda and the pirate ship from the Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean,” he said.
Student Links is funded by the Ontario government’s Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. It pairs students ages 14-21 who identify as having an intellectual disability or are on the autism spectrum with mentors in their community who share a common passion.
“We find that students we support often don't have access or opportunities to things like co-ops and placements or maybe even summer jobs throughout the time that they are in high school,” said Community Living Ontario Student Links manager Meghan Davis.
“The goal is to support the natural development of relationships and connections to their community.”
Areas of study include fine arts, horticulture, fashion design and coding. In Beirness’ case, he loves building things. Audette has been teaching him woodworking, welding and metal fabrication.
'Chris is a joy'
“Chris is a joy. I'm very fortunate that I did get introduced to the Student Links mentorship program because it's fulfilling for me,” Audette said.
At the end of the program, Davis said students can find community placements, job opportunities or post-secondary programs they would be interested in.
“When they're connecting with people that have that shared interest, they really thrive. So many things are possible,” she said.
Beirness dreams of one day opening a woodworking business to build affordable, wooden toys for kids.
Student Links has been running in North Bay for approximately 10 years. It’s now expanding to the Sudbury region. Davis said the door is always open for further program expansions to other cities down the line.
“We're always open to potentially expanding more when there is that need,” she said.
The mentorship program currently serves about 250 students across the province in eight different regions.
To learn more about the program, click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP calls out Conservatives for effort to squash pharmacare legislation
The federal New Democrats are calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party for trying to block the bill that could pave the way for millions of Canadians to access birth control and diabetes coverage.
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
A subset of Alzheimer's cases may be caused by two copies of a single gene, new research shows
For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic form of late-in-life Alzheimer’s disease — in people who inherit two copies of a worrisome gene.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.