Local Boy has Imagination Soar Through Mentorship Program
/The sky is the limit for Kenner student Alex Ouimet’s imagination as he and volunteer Thomas Jenkins from Big Brothers of Peterborough use it to connect with art and nature.
Ouimet, 14, and Jenkins have been meeting every Saturday for the last three years through a Big Brothers mentorship doing weekly activities and learning life skills.
Alex Ouimet (left) and Thomas Jenkins (right) met through the Big Brothers program where Jenkins was a substitute Big Brother for Ouimet during a Toronto Blue Jays game. Photo courtesy of Thomas Jenkins
A common activity is outdoor hiking involving forest explorations, walking through trails and exploring everything outdoors. During all activities, the two engage in conversation to let Ouimet unwind and express himself.
"This is about giving time and attention to your Little, it's not about the fancy things you do," said Jenkins. “It’s an escape. You get to develop a relationship outside of the family that can provide a different perspective.”
Alex Ouimet (pictured) has explored the outdoors from The Gut Conservation Area in Apsley, Ontario to the Petroglyphs Provincial Park in Woodview, Ontario. Photo courtesy of Thomas Jenkins
Physical health and proper dieting are other skill Ouimet learns through the Big Brothers program. Before the pandemic, the pair would often make healthy meals with workouts.
Big Brothers allows their matches to have a safe space for emotional control, a place to vent and develop social skills according to Jenkins.
“It's all about Alex. That’s the most important thing about this is Alex's time during the week where he can be himself and do what he wants to do,” said Jenkins. “We do that and all the positive reinforcement and building confidence such as talking about what his week was.”
One way Ouimet likes to express himself is through professional wrestling. It is not the violence that appeals to him but as a form of expression through music, visual and dramatic arts.
"We make a lot of wrestling characters, we've made shirts and we draw some of our characters,” said Ouimet. “They're actually all from my brain."
Alex Ouimet (pictured) has created over 30 different wresters each with their own backstory and persona with Jenkins. Photo by David Tuan Bui
Fictional wrestlers are brought to life from drawings, t-shirt designs and composing music that all stem from Ouimet’s ideas.
“The wrestlers are the vehicle to get to the creative things,” said Jenkins. “It happens to be about wrestling but it’s learning things about music production, drawing, costume design for acting.”
Thomas Jenkins (left) composing entrance music for Alex Ouimet’s (right) created wrestlers in a jam session. Jenkins has music studio that contains guitars, a keyboard, audio mixer and microphones. Photo by David Tuan Bui
Ouimet says he is always eager for every Saturday to spend time with Jenkins as they both consider each other to be “brothers’ because of their close bond.
“He makes me feel relieved with less anxiety and less depression,” said Ouimet. ‘There’s less stress.”
Lyric composition and vocals are some of the musical expressions both participate in as several artistic activities. Photo by David Tuan Bui
