The recreation mentoring program: a community engagement initiative for children

Approximately one in five Ontario children show symptoms of significant mental health problems. These children exhibit impairments at home, at school and in the community, often with long-lasting effects. Involvement in structured community-based recreation programs may be protective for these children; however, they often encounter multiple barriers to participation (e.g., facility fees, lack of family or peer support, and reluctance to try new activities).

The Recreation Mentoring Program is a community-wide program that reduces barriers to participation while providing an important relationship with a caring, young adult mentor. Trained volunteer mentors are matched with at-risk children, and meet regularly at a community recreation centre near the child's residence. The mentor's role is to: 1) stimulate participation in recreational programs, and 2) promote the child's continued participation after the mentorship ends.

Limited program evaluation suggests that the Recreation Mentoring Program engages at-risk children in community-based recreation, that it is operationally feasible, and that it produces high levels of client satisfaction.

The Recreation Mentoring Program holds promise as an effective community-based intervention for children with mental health problems.