Next 100 Years peer mentorship program sees elementary participants become secondary leaders

The district's Next 100 Years program continues to inspire generations of students as more and more former Grade 6 and 7 attendees are now becoming mentors in their senior years of secondary school. Now entering its 10th year, the program provides mentorship opportunities for Grade 10, 11 and 12 students to be positive role models for their younger peers. 

For nearly a decade, Surrey Schools’ Next 100 Years program has provided mentorship opportunities for secondary youth to be positive role models for Grade 6 and 7 students entering secondary school.

Now, the program – delivered in partnership with Surrey Police Service – is seeing numerous former participants wishing to give back by becoming mentors themselves and helping the next generation of peers transition from elementary to secondary.

Since 2016, the Next 100 Years program has helped hundreds of Grade 6 and 7 students in need develop healthy relationships, positive recreation, overall wellness and identity through mentorship, while giving Grade 10, 11 and 12 students valuable volunteer experience. For L.A. Matheson Secondary senior Suleman Sohail, his time in the program as an elementary student inspired him to pursue the opportunity to return the favour in his later years of secondary school.

“I started off as a mentee and I partook in the program for around two years, and it was an amazing experience,” he said. “It helped me ease into the life of high school and what we were going to face in the future.

“What stood out for me back then was the mentors come to you at a level that’s like a friend – they don’t use their seniority over you, they treat you as an equal, and that goes a long way with kids.”

The program is currently offered at Senator Reid Elementary and Kirkbride Elementary with L.A. Matheson, and Cougar Creek Elementary and J.T. Brown Elementary with Tamanawis Secondary, featuring weekly presentations and activities focused on identity, culture and diversity, anti-racism, anti-oppression, sacrifice and community. It also provides a safe environment for elementary students to ask questions about their older peers’ experiences and address such concerns as bullying, peer pressure, vaping and drug usage.

Suleman Sohail (in the white sweatshirt) presents to Grade 6 and 7 students at Senator Reid Elementary as part of the Next 100 Years program.

Having that chance to engage with secondary students ahead of Grade 8 left an indelible mark on Sohail, as did the fact that both of his older sisters served as mentors. So as he entered L.A. Matheson, he decided he wanted to join the Next 100 Years as a mentor as soon as he could in Grade 10.

“I wanted to make that impact in my community,” he said. “I realized I could use my own personal story and the stories I’ve seen around myself, with friends or fellow peers to reach the kids and make a difference in someone’s life.

“When kids go through high school and don’t have a shoulder to lean on, they tend to go down the wrong path. But having an older student say, ‘We’re here for you, here’s our hand, hold it anytime you need,’ it helps them more than we even know.”

Sohail said his experience as a mentor and role model has been incredibly rewarding from seeing how his stories have resonated with younger students, long after their time in the program has ended. Additionally, some of his former mentees are now students at L.A. Matheson, and he’s seen firsthand how his mentorship has stuck with them in secondary school.

“The coolest thing is when they reach secondary school and they see you in the hallways,” he said. “I’ve had students come up to me, they shake your hand, they dap you up and say, ‘Suleman, I remember you, do you remember me?’ It’s an amazing feeling to see they actually remember what I tried to teach them and they still know that I’m there for them.”

“I’ve had kids ask me, ‘Hey, how do I become a mentor?’ because they want to give back like I did. It’s all about connection, and it’s those little things that mean the most.”

For more information, see the Next 100 Years page.