Surrey’s paused Big Brother program could restart with 13 more volunteers
Published 10:30 am Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Four years after Surrey’s Big Brothers mentorship program was paused due to lack of volunteers, just 13 more mentors are needed to get the program restarted and re-energized in the city.
So says Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver (BBGV), which in April will host two info sessions in Newton to recruit more volunteers — first at Strawberry Hill Library on Tuesday, April 14 (6 p.m. start), then Newton Library on Thursday, April 23 (4:30 p.m.).
In April 2022 the organization was forced to pause Surrey intake for its Big Brothers program as a wait pool surged to 38 kids due to a volunteer shortage and some children had to wait more than two years to meet their mentor.
“Over the past four years, we’ve worked hard to rebuild volunteer momentum and eliminate our waitlist in the city,” said Navkiran Brar, BBGV community program manager.
“Now, we’re seeing the results. With 13 more volunteers in Surrey, we could open up so many opportunities for children and families who have been waiting so long to meet their Big Brother.”
In addition to Newton sessions in April, the charity will host weekly online volunteer sessions Thursdays at noon. They’re open to public, no commitment required, on bigbrothersvancouver.com/volunteer-info-session.
In 2025, BBGV served 959 children of all genders and identities through six youth mentoring programs, up 13 per cent from 2024.
The vision is “to empower children and youth to reach their full potential through mentorship by matching caring adults with children who could benefit from an additional positive adult presence in their life.”
While volunteer demand remains high in Surrey, 106 youth wait to meet their mentor in other Metro Vancouver cities.