Lions Pride teaches Surrey students drills and skills for life on and off the football field
Since 2019, the Lions Pride outreach program has offered mentorship and guidance for vulnerable and at-risk youth, teaching them valuable life skills while also encouraging their love of sport through football. (Photo submitted)
A longstanding summer football camp run by Surrey Schools, the Surrey RCMP and the BC Lions is once again helping youth excel in sports and in life by providing guidance and mentorship to Surrey students.
Started in 2019, Lions Pride is a four-week outreach program that sees members of the BC Lions coach weekly football practices and teach athletic and social skills to vulnerable and at-risk Grade 5 to 10 students, while also sharing their personal stories and emphasizing the importance of making positive choices. This year’s program is run out of Enver Creek and Frank Hurt secondary schools, and culminates in a flag football tournament in August, with the goal of reaching 50 students this summer.
“We try to connect with kids who usually don’t have a lot of opportunities to get involved in these kinds of camps,” said Community-Schools Partnership (CSP) facilitator Rupi Dahia. “We wanted to reach out to kids who don’t really have a lot to do during the summer and direct them on the right path.
“It’s more than just a football camp – they talk to kids about drugs and gang life and how to make better choices for themselves in life. It’s really a mentorship program.”
The program has two areas of focus: the summer flag football tournament and school presentations throughout the year. The BC Lions regularly connect with students during the school year and encourage their development of strong character traits, leadership and values.
Meredith Verma, manager of CSP, said the BC Lions are effective at connecting with students because the youth look up to them and often see their life experiences reflected in the players’ stories.
“For youth to be mentored, it’s really important for them to see themselves in that mentor,” she said. “That lived experience cannot be understated – the Lions may have had something in their life that was sending them down the wrong path, and when students hear that and relate to it, it really impacts how they feel about connecting and growing and learning.”
“Some of the BC Lions were Surrey Schools students or went to school in the Lower Mainland,” added Dahia. “When you have a professional athlete who’s had a similar background or has a story to share, it gains way more attention than someone who hasn’t lived that life.”
Dahia said many of the Lions Pride students are aspiring athletes, so hearing a gridiron role model speak about positive choices and teach them leadership skills has a lasting impact.
“They talk about subjects that are relevant to kids like what it means to be a leader, honesty, to not be afraid to ask questions,” he said. “Some of these students are in a vulnerable state and they think, ‘I’m a kid, they won’t listen to me,’ so they give them opportunities to become leaders in the program.
“They can see an athlete who’s a strong leader, who went through a lot of things, who persevered and worked hard and focused on his goals and got to where he wanted to. And when they see that, they feel empowered to do the same.”
If your child is interested in participating in Lions Pride, please reach out to Surrey RCMP Youth Unit Officer Cpl. Jacob Cheung jacob.cheung@rcmp-grc.gc.ca. For more information, visit bclions.com/lionspride
