Spotlighting Gideon
Meet Gideon, 63, a long-term volunteer in the In-School Mentoring (ISM) program, as well as the Community Matching program. He is currently matched to three mentees in Milton.
A former auxiliary police constable, a veteran and a correctional officer of 20 years, Gideon says being a mentor helps turn his past into a purpose. He carries many life lessons forward, teaching his Littles about resilience, developing character and confidence-building through consistency and the power of showing up. Gideon says, “I spent my life responding to emergencies and managing crises. Now, I want to spend my life preventing them through friendship and a listening ear.”
From childhood experience, Gideon understands adversity. “Growing up in a dysfunctional environment as a child and a teen, I know exactly what it feels like to navigate the world without a map.” Similarly, and though experience, Gideon understands the importance of mentorship. He offers a metaphor: “My time as a Search and Rescue volunteer taught me that when someone is lost, they just need a light to follow.”
Mentoring isn’t about “being a ‘superhero’ or having all the answers,” Gideon says, “The most profound impact comes from the simplest, most consistent human actions. The power of showing up and lending an ear are incredibly important.” Showing up and truly listening tells a young person, “Your thoughts have value and your voice deserves to be heard,” says Gideon. Consistency translates to “I see you, and I care about who you are becoming,” he says.
Gideon is a highly committed, invested mentor. He is always looking for ways to boost the confidence of his mentees, often coming up with out-of-the-box solutions. Gideon created an award for his ISM mentees celebrating their own uniqueness and presented them with a medal in front of their class.
Presenting the medals wearing his Royal Canadian Legion Uniform, Gideon says, “I wanted to create a moment of public validation. I wanted their peers to see them the way I see them: as individuals of immense worth and potential.” The medals were inscribed, ‘I believe in you.’
Gideon has often shown up to school in his motorcycle with his dog, Ziggy, in the sidecar and will bring the kids out for a little pet therapy.
We are very pleased to spotlight Gideon and lucky to have him as a volunteer mentor.
